Hannah O'Neill Pt3
by AvaC
Summary: The Clone that SG1 got instead of Fruit Basket for saving the world and universe what not returns to Atlantis... what trouble will the girl get herself into now? OC story.. SGA-Season 4 with SG1 characters making appearances! (Warning slightly OCish Ronon.. he talks more..)
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own imagination and the wild places it takes me. I do not own MGM or Stargate or any of its affiliates… if I did, I would have made a SGA movie and another 6 seasons of SGA… I also don't have a medical degree or a psychology degree so please forgive any mistakes I may make

A/N: Hey All! This is the third and final story of the Hannah series I thank everyone who has come this far with me and a huge thanks to Lee K. and my Beta nluvwithemmetcullen for their patience and that they haven't tried to murder me via email yet for my procrastination and never ending ideas and always changing my mind! Ok I hope you all enjoy! Reviews not necessary but always nice (except for flamers please don't send)

* * *

><p>It was a beautiful spring morning with a gentle breeze blowing through the field where the Athosians planted their crops. It was a large field that was big enough that yield would feed the Athosians and leave spare for trade. The whole community turned out daily as soon as spring hit to turn the soil and plant the next harvest.<p>

Hannah had to admit she loved working in the field the sunning warming the Earth and the smell of rich soil, the blossoming flowers and the clean fresh smell of the air. She loved this planet not that she had travelled anywhere else yet but then why would she when she was so warmly welcomed by the Athosians.

Hannah used one of her hands to block out the morning sunlight so she could looked to the sky and watch a bird fly through the crystal blue sky. Hannah was envious of that bird as she wished she could feel the freedom that bird must feel being able to roam freely knowing its purpose in the world.

Hannah wished she could remember her place, ever since she appeared on New Athos 13 days ago. She woke up in the forest naked with no memory of who she was or where she happened to be. The experience had been disorientating to say the least and frightening when she found herself surrounded by strangers.

"Those seeds aren't going to plant themselves Perdita" Selana told her with a friendly smile. Hannah returned the smile and looked to the ground and returned to placing the seeds into the ground. 'Perdita' meaning 'Lost one' was her nickname given to her by one of the elders in the settlement. The Elder said it was more fitting as Hannah's spirit had obviously lost its way from the heavens and ended up back on the plane they currently inhabited.

Halling, the man who first found her in the woods and offered her shelter and clothing tried to explain to the Elder she already had a name and they all knew that. But the Elder would not be persuaded and who was Hannah to disagree it was apt description of how she felt. It wasn't like she felt any recognition to the name Hannah. She didn't even recognise her own reflection in the water.

Since her arrival on New Athos she had been having trouble sleeping, mainly sleeping peacefully. She had only slept peacefully three nights out of her 12 nights on New Athos. She remembered the dreams but they were vague memories and emotions of people sitting round a table laughing about something amusing and waves of happiness washed over her and there was a man he would always watch her from across the table his hazel eyes focussed on her. Then the dream would change and she would be wrapped up in his arms. The feeling of being safe and warm enveloped her and a sense of being cherished as she'd feel of his lips on her temple and his fingers caressing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. The dream would end before they actually kissed and she would wake up feeling a smile pass on her lips and a sense of peace which warmed her to the core.

Sadly she woke up on a more regular basis drenched in a cold sweat and her heart pounding in fear and anticipation as though she was waiting for something to happen. Every shadow and slightest noise would get her attention and it took what seemed like hours to calm herself. The first few nights she woke up like this she would make herself go to sleep only to dream of dark, disturbing and painfully vivid nightmares.

She felt that they were a reflection of her old life and it was not something she wanted to return to or fully remember. But Halling told her that Colonel Sheppard said she had not left the plane they inhabited peacefully so the nightmares were probably those memories resurfacing first and that maybe in time when her spirit and mind worked through the pain and learned to make peace with what happened she would hopefully have peaceful dreams.

Hannah always nodded when he told her this but didn't entirely believe him after the first few nights of waking up then returning to slumber to have nightmares she gave up and rose from her bed and went for a walk to calm herself. Halling had taught her to meditate to centre herself when she woke up startled but Hannah couldn't keep her concentration to sit still or stop her thoughts that were on hyper alert at every noise. She found with the walk she could remind herself there were no dangers and nothing to hurt her on New Athos and her nightmares were in her mind and she was safe.

She spent most of her days by Halling's side, they would have a stout tea before dawn and then they would head to the ring of the Ancestors to try and contact Hannah's friend Colonel John Sheppard and Teyla Emmagen who was the Athosian's Leader also Hannah's friend. Halling had informed her of what he knew of her life and her place in the City of the Ancestors that she and her people called 'Atlantis'.

How once they finally got in contact with Atlantis, he knew that her people would be happy to know that she was alive and well even if she couldn't remember them or anything past her nightmares and what Halling told her. That they would welcome her back and she would return to place on Atlantis and that if she returned to her 'normal' life then her memories would return to her.

But for 13 days the ring of the Ancestors refused to open a portal to Atlantis. Every time Halling or Kanaan pressed the dial Hannah felt her heart leap into her throat and anxiety set in and when it failed to activated she was relieved but saddened. She had fears of her nightmares being reality, fears that she wouldn't be welcomed like Halling assured her, fears of the unknown as she had no understanding of what her life was going to be.

So when they couldn't contact Atlantis they returned to the settlement for the morning meal and then went into daily activities from preparing and cooking meals to collecting fire wood and working in the fields. Then all the Athosians returned to the main dwelling they used for communal meals and had their evening meal and then they are said their prayers to the Ancestors before resting for the night to start all over again the next day.

So today was shaping out like every other she had experienced before, she had gone for a long hike to return before dawn to share in the Stout tea as it was custom. Then she and Halling had tried to contact Atlantis. When they weren't successful, she wondered how many more days they were going to keep on trying before they gave up. She was beginning to think it was a sign that she was meant to stay on New Athos.

"Hannah"

Hannah looked up after her name was called the second time to see Halling waving to her to come over. She pushed to her feet and dusted the dirt off her hands before heading to Halling. He was standing at the edge of the field with a man and woman Hannah didn't recognise. The man was shorter than Halling but still tall, he had black messy hair and wore grey clothing with a black vest he was definitely not Athosian but there was something familiar about the sight of him. The woman on the other hand was much shorter she had shoulder length brown hair and light brown skin, she dress in the same garb as the other female Athosians. As she neared them she noted the look of awe and shock on their faces. Halling just smiled at Hannah and looked to the two strangers beside him who still stared at her.

"Hannah as I promised this is Teyla Emmagen and Lt. Colonel John Sheppard" Halling told her gesturing to the woman and the man standing beside her.

"It's nice to finally put faces to your names. Halling has told me many things about you two" Hannah said awkwardly as the two recovered, Teyla smiled warmly at her first and then Sheppard managed to blink out his stunned expression.

"I hope all of it was good" Sheppard said, he looked at Hannah as she stood in front of them practically glowing with a healthy tan and flushed cheeks. She looked slightly fatigued but it didn't detract from the fact she was smiling something he had missed seeing her do.

She wore black skin tight pants tucked into unfitted knee high boots and a grey caftan with its long sleeves rolled up to her elbows with a black belt cinched under her bust. Her blonde hair was longer than he had ever seen before as it hung over her left side down the front of her in a messy fishbone plait that ended at her waist. He also noted besides the hair being different and that she had a few scars he didn't remember her owning before today. One on her neck right side just below her jaw line that was about 3cm long like she had been sliced by a knife and another three on the outside her left forearm and one on her right arm extending from her right elbow across the outside of her arm they looked like slash wounds that had healed a long time ago since he wondered how many more scars like that were hiding on her. But brushed the thoughts, the anger and guilt he was starting to feel well up inside as he should have done more to save her.

But in saying that he had gotten his wish Hannah was standing in front of him, healthy and whole besides memory loss and he was not going to let anyone take his chance to redeem himself for past mistakes and what he owed Hannah.

"Only the best I assure you" Hannah told him.

"Of course, you'll have to apologise our not getting here sooner. Dr McKay believes that there was a space phenomenon that would not allow a connection between Atlantis and New Athos" Teyla said.

"Space Phenomenon?" Hannah asked.

"Like a solar flare or planetary drift or something." Sheppard answered he couldn't stop staring at her it was as if he believed she was going to disappear if he blinked. Hannah found it slightly unnerving and hoped he would stop and it wasn't some kind of habit for him.

"Teyla, I was hoping we could discuss a private matter perhaps Hannah you and Colonel Sheppard could take a walk and he can answer the questions I unable to" Halling offered.

"I'm supposed to be helping plant seeds" Hannah said.

"I'm sure they won't mind" Halling reassured her. Hannah nodded and looked to Sheppard.

"Shall we?" she asked, Sheppard gave a nod and gestured for her to take direction. Hannah looked to Halling who gave her an encouraging nod before she started walking in the direction of the lake.

After a few moments of awkward silence Sheppard cleared his throat.

"So what did Halling tell you exactly? Cause as soon as he saw us in the settlement he told us that you appeared a week or so ago naked with no memory of who you were" Sheppard said.

"Yeah that pretty much sums it up" Hannah said as she continued to walk to the lake with him on a well worn path in the forest. She wasn't ready to tell him about the nightmares or her fears of leaving New Athos.

"So you don't recognise me at all?" Sheppard asked Hannah stopped and looked at him thoughtfully for a few seconds.

"I'm not sure it's very disorientated. You look so familiar to me and yet I have no memory of you. If it helps it pains me as much as I'm sure it pains you" she told him, she pursed her lips and looked away for a moment. Her expression was unreadable when she looked back at him.

"I imagine it's frustrating to say the least but you look good"

"Thank you, are you going to take me to Atlantis?" Hannah asked.

"Only if you want to I'd never force you but I think if you want to recover your memories it's the best place" Sheppard said, he could tell she was having some trouble reconciling her thoughts. He would have laughed at how readable her face was now compared to before except he could see her inner turmoil playing out which was no laughing matter.

"What's eating at you?" Sheppard asked.

"Halling said I did not leave this plane of existence peacefully. He said you could tell me about who I was and what happened to me" Hannah said. Sheppard shifted uncomfortably and grimaced. "I hope as my friend you will tell me the truth not matter how painful or gruesome" she added.

"Look I won't lie to you. You deserve the truth and I want you to trust me. So I'll make a deal with you"

"Ok"

"You can ask me anything and I will try to be as completely honest with you as I can. But you gotta understand there are things I don't know because I wasn't there and a lot of it you are probably better off not knowing. Though you will probably remember all of it anyway right?"

"Halling believes so"

"You don't"

"Too early to say. You were speaking of a deal?"

"Right, I'll tell you what you want to know but in exchange you have to be completely honest with me and open about what's going on in that head of yours. I want to help you but I can't do that if you don't trust me or tell me what's going on" Sheppard said. Hannah looked away from him for a moment considering his proposal for a moment.

"Sounds fair" She said she started walking again with Sheppard by her side.

"So speaking of Atlantis, you want to come back with us? We have the room and well none of your stuff is there but I know of a few people who would give their right arm to see you but…" Sheppard drawled for dramatic effect.

"But what?"

"Well you should know I drank all your ruus wine" Sheppard told her. She looked at him confused as to why she would care about that.

"I am sure I can find in my heart to forgive you" Hannah said it sounded more like a question than a statement. Sheppard smiled at how unsure she sounded she was not the Hannah he remembered she even spoke differently probably due to an extended stay with the Athosians.

"Good, so any questions you have for me?"

"You didn't answer my earlier question about how I originally left this plane. I know it wasn't peaceful" Hannah told him.

"I don't know all the details exactly what happened but months ago back in our galaxy you were captured by our enemy. I do know they were not known for treating their prisoners with care. We tried to find you but couldn't and then after a while I had to come back here and I got a message that you had ascended" Sheppard told her, he knew he promised to be completely honest but he wasn't ready to tell her all the details yet. The fact she was declared dead or that they called off the search for after 2 weeks after she was captured.

Hannah nodded as she took in his words before she spoke carefully "So I ascended and for some reason I came back" she said more to herself than Sheppard.

"Yeah well whatever the reason I for one am glad you're back even if you don't remember our beautiful friendship" Sheppard said in a joking tone. Hannah bit back a smile as they had made it to the lake.

Teyla smiled as Halling poured out a cup of tea for her and himself. He sat down opposite her at one of the many tables in the communal tent used for meal time.

Teyla and Halling had walked through the settlement stopping to talk and for Teyla to reconnect with her people she normally visited them weekly if not more but between the events of Ronon reuniting with some of his old Satedan friends and the fallout to the Stargate not being able to connect to New Athos she had not been back for over a month. She had missed them all and was glad to return for a visit. The added surprise of Hannah being here alive and well was an added bonus.

* * *

><p>"Tell me how is Hannah?" Teyla asked, she knew Halling had left out many details about Hannah when they first arrived he just told them that Hannah had fallen from the sky with no memory or clothing. She had honestly thought he was playing a joke until he called Hannah over. Hannah had drastically changed from the woman Teyla remembered but she was glad and somewhat relieved to see Hannah. She also knew that when she and Sheppard returned with Hannah to Atlantis it would please many people who had been affected by Hannah's disappearance.<p>

"She is healthy of body but her spirit is in a state of unrest" Halling said his brow furrowed as he thought of the best way to explain his observations. Teyla raised a questioning eyebrow at him but patiently waited for him to continue. "I feel I must warn you she has disturbed nights. She cries out in her sleep like she is in immense pain and some nights she is loud enough to wake half the settlement. Sometimes she wakes up and wanders the night restless until dawn. I think she had only slept through the night once or twice."

"You believe her memories are resurfacing through her dreams?" Teyla asked him.

"I believe so" Halling said looking at his tea.

"Has she spoken about what she remembers?" Teyla asked.

"Nothing in detail but I'm sure when she is ready she will voice what she knows. I think she is reticent in returning to Atlantis because she believes she will be returning to whatever is in her nightmares. I have assured her that you would all welcome her with open arms but I'm not sure if she truly believes me" Halling said he was about to continue when the sound of Sheppard and Hannah laughing could be heard.

"I'm telling you the truth! Ask Teyla if you don't believe me" Sheppard protested as he held the tent flap open for Hannah to step in first.

"You say the most outrageous things. I do not believe I could be such a violent person" Hannah said shaking her head at him.

"You are but in a good way" Sheppard assured her as they joined Teyla and Halling at the table.

"Sheppard was telling me that I am a sarcastic know it all who has a tendency to be drunk and violent" Hannah said to Halling and Teyla.

"I didn't say that! You asked for funny stories and I can't help it if most those stories involve you being drunk or being violent" he said defending himself. It seemed the two had hit it off from their walk together. Sheppard sat back in his chair getting comfortable he noted Teyla and Halling looked pensieve for a moment before they smiled at them.

"Yet I'm still waiting for a funny story that does not involve me being drunk. Tea?" Hannah asked Sheppard, he nodded and she rose from her seat.

"You know I have found something good about your memory loss" Sheppard said as Hannah returned with two cups and a tea pot.

"Oh?" Hannah asked as she poured out the tea.

"Yeah means you have none of my embarrassing stories to use against me" Sheppard said.

"haha I guess then I should recover my memories so we can be on equal footing" Hannah told him as she retook her seat.

"Well it's only a trip through the Stargate" Sheppard told her.

* * *

><p>"No" Sam told McKay as they stood in the control room of Atlantis. McKay started to argue his side while Sam tried her hardest not to roll her eyes as McKay started to rant at her about how they should update the subroutines of Atlantis's DHD. Sam was hesitant to do so considering the many hiccups and adventures she had to experience with SGC's dialling program.<p>

"All I'm saying is that we can make a lot of short cuts and be able to more connections if we just tweak the existing program" McKay said.

"Weren't you the one who once believed that my interface program with the Stargate was full of flaws which resolved in numerous unnecessary situations, any of which could have had the potential to be catastrophic?" Sam asked folding her arms across her chest. She had already told him no but he want to argue the point.

"Maybe" McKay mumbled "But it's the point your original interface has greatly improved and I'm just adapting the good parts" McKay told her.

"No"

"Come on I'm suggesting improvements"

"I said No" Sam told him firmly. McKay opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the alarm sounding in the control room.

"Unscheduled off World Activation" Chuck said as the Stargate activated and the wormhole opened. The shield was raised and guards down in the Gate room moved into defensive positions. Sam moved from where she was standing with McKay to Chuck's station.

"Receiving IDC it's Sheppard" Chuck informed them.

"Lower the shield" Sam said even though it wasn't necessary for her to say it she did for the hell of it. She moved to the balcony that overlooked the gate room.

"I thought he and Teyla weren't coming back until tomorrow" McKay said as he joined her. The shield was lowered and a few seconds Sheppard stepped through the Stargate and a second later a second person stepped through that was not Teyla.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

Sheppard waved the soldiers in the room to lower their weapons before he turned to Hannah who looked back at the Stargate watching the wormhole disengage.

"That was different" Hannah murmured, he smiled at the comment as he forgot she didn't remember ever going through a Stargate or travelling via a wormhole. The first few trips were enough to leave one with either unsettled stomach or an adrenaline rush. It was something one had to acclimatise to. So when Hannah asked him what it felt like he told her it was like a roller coaster that earned him an odd look and then he changed his answer to it being fun and not to worry.

Sheppard watch her as Hannah looked around the gate room in awe at the architecture and the grandeur of the room. He reluctantly turned his attention to Colonel Carter who was coming down the stairs not looking particularly happy with him.

"Colonel Sheppard, you are supposed to get authorisation before bringing an outsider into Atlantis" Sam said as she came down the stairs she stopped as Hannah turned around from looking at the gate. "Hannah?" Sam said in disbelief.

Hannah heard her name and looked to the source even though she was heavily distracted by her surroundings. Halling had described Atlantis but he really did not give the place much justice. She looked to the Blonde woman who raced down the stairs to her and without warning pulled Hannah into a tight hug.

"Whoa, ah hi" Hannah said as she awkwardly returned the hug. She looked to Sheppard who just watched on along with everyone else in the room.

Sam released Hannah from the hug but held onto Hannah's arms not wanting to let go of her just yet. She took a minute to look Hannah over noting the long hair and healthy tan along with a few scars she didn't remember Hannah having. Sam didn't miss the look of confusion on Hannah's face either.

"Hannah this is Colonel Samantha Carter who is our leader and I already told you how you two used to work together" Sheppard said making the introductions. Hannah gave a warm smile to Sam. "The Athosians said Hannah fell from the sky over a fortnight ago, we had a good talk and Hannah agreed to return to Atlantis with me. I was thinking we'd go get checked out by Keller before tour and meal" Sheppard added, Hannah was relieved he didn't mention the 'naked' part of that story.

"Of course" Sam said nodding she remembered when Daniel first de-ascended he had memory loss no doubt the same happened to Hannah.

"Do you wish to join us?" Hannah asked as she didn't want to be rude in asking Sam to let go of her arm. It was clear the woman had some attachment to Hannah considering the look Sam was giving her.

Sam smiled at Hannah but shook her head "You two go ahead I have some things I need to finish here first. I'll join you both later ok?" Sam said.

* * *

><p>An hour later,<p>

Keller, Sam and Sheppard stood off the side of the infirmary near a computer station. Hannah was a few beds away out of earshot talking with Kate Heightmeyer.

"Well the DNA results will take a few hours to come through but I can say with some certainty that that woman is Lt. Hannah O'Neill" Keller said.

"How?" Sam asked she wanted to cover her bases before she informed the SGC to send word to General O'Neill and SG1 since she knew they would want to know Hannah was alive.

"I'm running the blood work as I said the results will take a few hours but her body scan told me what I needed to know" Keller said as she brought up images of skeletal scan on the screen she starting pointing to specific areas "You only have to look closer at the skeleton to see the healed bone fractures and calluses. It shows exactly what was indicated in her medical file. Clavicle, wrist, and multiple rib fractures… here, here and here" Keller pointed out on the scan and listed off other fractures and bone breaks Hannah had healed from. "Interestingly her file said she had a complete knee reconstruction but her knee on the scan is not the artificial replacement. It is bone like she has all her original bones but with signs of healed fractures. There is also something else" Keller said she changed the screen to a scan of a brain.

"No implants" Sam said looking at the scan. Keller nodded.

"I read in her medical history she had four of them in her cerebral cortex but there is nothing there" Keller said.

"We talking about the bugs in her head that keeps her memories locked up so she doesn't go loony?" Sheppard asked. Sam smothered a smile at Sheppard's question as it reminded her of O'Neill and his propensity to translate what is being said so he could understand.

"Yes" Sam said, Keller looked confused "Hannah has the memories of four distinct individuals along with her own. The implants regulate the memory emgrams so she doesn't develop dissociate disorder" Sam explained to Keller, Sam had omitted the fact the lack of implants was a bad thing. But she wasn't ready to voice her concerns not yet. But there was the issue of if Hannah did start remembering and the memories started to resurface Hannah could possibly die.

"Well that's not all, her brain activity has lowered. From previous scans her brain activity was abnormally high but now she has the same activity levels as one of us" Keller said she was about to continue when they were disrupted by the commotion in the infirmary.

They all turned to see Demming pick Hannah up in a bear hug. Hannah gave a girlish yelp as he lifted her off the ground. Major Lorne's team had returned from being off world obviously as they were standing around watching Demming while waiting for the infirmary staff to direct them.

"Hannah! I knew you'd do a DJ" Demming said as he held her tight. Hannah squirmed in his arms as she tried to breathe.

"Demming let the girl breathe" Lieutenant Reed said as he was perched on a gurney watching. Demming did as he was told and lowered Hannah to her feet carefully before releasing her. Hannah stumbled slightly as she tried to catch her breath but Demming held her up by the elbow.

"What's a DJ?" Hannah asked as she recovered.

"DJ. A 'Daniel Jackson. It means to come back from the dead and or de-ascend from a higher plane" Demming said. "Reed meet my girl Hannah" Demming said putting an arm around Hannah's shoulders.

"Your girl? Who are you?" Hannah asked Demming. Reed and Kemp started laughing at Demming who clutched a hand to his chest.

"Oh the burn of rejection" Reed said

"Looks like she doesn't feel the same affection for you Demming" Kemp said with a grin as he stole a lollipop from the big jar Keller had in the infirmary.

"Hannah how could you forget our love?" Demming said dramatically, Hannah's eyes widened in surprise she was sure Sheppard would have told her if she had a lover or partner.

"Are you yanking my chain?" Hannah asked him, not that the man wasn't attractive it was that what he was saying just didn't sound right to her.

"Yes he is" Sheppard told Hannah who looked relieved as she took his word. "Demming, Hannah has a bit of memory loss from her transition back to being human. Let's keep the misinformation to a minimum" Sheppard said.

"So I shouldn't tell her about our kids?" Demming asked him.

"Kids?" Hannah said her jaw dropping in shock, her head spinning.

"Yeah Lucy and Harold unfortunate name but we had to name him after my father" Demming told Hannah who had drop a few shades of colour. Sheppard was about to correct Demming but before he had the chance Lorne appeared and smacked Demming up the side of the head.

"Ow! Did you have to hit me so hard?" Demming asked Lorne.

"Yes, didn't your mother ever teach you lying is bad?" Lorne told him,

"I vaguely remember a Nun... Yeah sister Josephine screaming at me about something to do with lying and sin but I was never good at listening" Demming said with a smile.

"Hmm why am I not surprised" Lorne said before he looked to Hannah and gave her a friendly smile "Major Evan Lorne, it's good to have you back though some advice enjoy the company but don't believe a word out of his mouth until after you regain your memories" he told her as he offered his hand to her.

Hannah who was still reeling from Demming took Lorne's hand and shook it. "I think that's some wise advice" she said to him as she felt the need to sit down.

"You guys are no fun" Demming complained he looked to Hannah and held his arms wide "Come here I'm sorry I was just messing with you promise I'll be a good boy from now on"

Lorne and the other men snorted at the statement while waiting to see what Hannah would do next.

"I think this is where I don't believe you on the promise but the apology is accepted" Hannah told him she stayed where she was not venturing into Demming's arms. The men around her laughed as Demming looked put out by Hannah's rejection of his hug.

"So you and Heightmeyer finished?" Sheppard asked Hannah, she looked over to the red head she had been talking to for the last 15 minutes. They had spoken on varying subjects and the woman pried into how Hannah was feeling and about being back. Hannah kept her answers platonic and neutral as she didn't really know whom to trust. At the moment everyone and everything was a foreign to her as New Athos was when she first arrived there.

The only person she trusted at the moment was Sheppard. He seemed to genuinely care for her wellbeing and he hadn't asked anything of her except to trust him and be honest with him. If she was going to be honest when they had started talking to each other at the lake she felt a sense of warmth and safety of being around him. The same she felt when she was around Halling except Sheppard made her laugh and smile more often and there was some deeper affection she couldn't describe that she didn't feel with Halling as much.

"She is all yours Colonel, after we have a quick word in private" Heightmeyer said to Sheppard she gestured for him to join her over where Keller and Sam were currently still talking to one another.

"Sure, Lorne guard duty make sure Demming doesn't fill Hannah with lies or break her ribs with a hug" Sheppard said.

"Yes sir" Lorne said at the same time Demming said "Hey!"

Sheppard left Hannah in Lorne's care and joined Sam and the two doctors away from Hannah and Major Lorne and his team.

"Dr Heightmeyer" Sam said, the doctor warmly smiled at them.

"I don't have any definitive diagnosis for you yet" Heightmeyer told them.

"Ok then what can you say after 15 minutes with her?"

"Well besides I think I need more time to talk to her. I would say off the cuff she has generalized amnesia. She has no recollection of her Identity or any personal information but she remembers impersonal knowledge for example: Hannah doesn't know us, but can she is still be able to speak German fluently which is an acquired second language" Heightmeyer said.

"So we safely assume she will remember any skills she learned in her years on Earth and with the Marines, SGC and Atlantis. She just needs to be reminded and reacquainted with the skill because she has no sense of what she is capable of?" Sheppard asked.

"I would say so" Heightmeyer said.

"Will she recover her memories?" Sam asked.

"It is possible but I can't tell you when that would be. It could be tomorrow, next month or never." Heightmeyer answered. It wasn't the answer Sam wanted she had to tread carefully with this situation.

If Hannah regained her memories including the four other individual memories of the Tok'ra, Ancient, hers and O'Neill's it would be fatal to Hannah as they didn't have the Asgard to help save her. They'd also have to deal with the meltdown and Sam knew the expedition was not set up for the kind of care Hannah needed. Then there was the Sheppard issue. The man along with a small group of other people would not be impressed if or when Hannah was taken back to Earth they would be very vocal and worse it would cause dissension in the ranks something Sam did not need nor want.

"Ok then what can we do?" Sheppard asked.

"I would like to spend more time with her and also review her medical and personnel records. I don't see any harm in letting her wander around Atlantis with an escort of course. Let her become familiarised with her surroundings etc." Heightmeyer said as she looked over to where Hannah was talking with Lorne.

* * *

><p>"So let me get this straight, I used to be on a team with you two and we travelled to other planets exploring the Milky Way Galaxy and now we are in the Pegasus Galaxy" Hannah said, she had been drilling Lorne with questions for the past ten minutes while looking over at Sheppard wondering what his little group was talking about. Probably her. She looked to Lorne. She liked Lorne and his straight forward manners. She also liked his dry sense of humour and the fact he hadn't teased her yet unlike Demming. Who was definitely trying on her nerves.<p>

"Yes" Lorne answered.

"So what exactly is his job?" Hannah asked pointing to Demming who was currently flirting with the nurse who was doing his physical.

"Ah you know sometimes I ask myself that very question" Lorne said Hannah smiled before he sighed "He has his uses and it's never dull around him. You'll soon learn as he will stick to you like white on rice"

"Really?"

"Oh yeah" Lorne said chuckling as Demming winked at them giving them a thumbs up when the nurse turned her back to him.

"Great" Hannah said dryly as she wasn't sure her nerves could handle Demming if he continued to scare her with ideas of what she may have forgotten.

"It's not as bad as you think." Lorne told her.

"Says the person who can remember his own name and life" Hannah said to him.

"It'll come back to you. Dr Jackson recovered his memories after his time with people upstairs" Lorne said to her.

"That is the third time I've heard that man's name." Hannah stated, Sheppard had mentioned Daniel Jackson and Demming and now Lorne.

"Well he and SG1 the flag team of the SGC have been doing this stuff for over 10 years so I think there isn't much they haven't done" Lorne said.

"Colonel Carter was a member of SG1" Hannah added.

"So were you" Lorne said.

"Yeah Sheppard told me" Hannah said pulling on a loose thread on the hospital scrubs she was wearing they were not as comfortable as the clothing the Athosians had given her. "I'm not sure how I'm going to live up to my reputation" Hannah said thoughtfully.

"It won't be hard you just have to get Ronon on his back and everyone will respect you" Demming said as he pulled his jacket back on while joining the conversation.

"I'm assuming you mean I'd get him on his back in a fight not you indulging in more sexual innuendo" Hannah said Demming grinned at her.

"Well-"he drawled, Hannah groaned knowing he was going to say something lewd since she opened the door for him. "I was going to say he's the best fighter on base but you kicked his ass once so I'm sure you can do it again. Not that you need to prove anything to us" Demming assured her.

"Exactly you didn't leave us on the best terms so we are happy you are back and hopefully you'll decide to stick around" Lorne told her.

Sheppard came back over with Dr Keller, a blonde woman who didn't inspire much confidence in Hannah. The woman was nice enough but she was also shy and had a slightly nervous nature.

"Hungry?" Sheppard asked.

"Starved" Demming said to him. Lorne and Hannah smothered smiles as Sheppard smiled at Demming.

"I was talking to Hannah" Sheppard clarified.

"Yeah I'd like to eat though can I get changed?" Hannah asked looking to Keller who had her clothing stashed away somewhere in the infirmary.

"Oh right come with me" Keller said, Hannah hopped off the bed and followed Keller. The boys watched her leave before turning to face one another.

"How?" Lorne asked.

"She fell from the sky" Sheppard answered he knew that line was not going to get old as anyone he told that to gave him an odd look as if unsure what to say. It was amusing to say the least.

"Question, Colonel Carter going to ship her back to Earth or is Hannah staying?" Demming asked.

"Colonel Carter is waiting for the DNA results to confirm it's really Hannah before making any decisions" Sheppard told them.

"You got to be kidding she's a spitting image of Lt O'Neill." Demming said in disbelief that it all came down to a blood test before anything happened.

"That is how it goes so we'll know in a few hours what Colonel Carter's decision is" Sheppard said, he had already put in his say on what he wanted. Sam had kept her opinion close to her chest not wanting to make any rash promises. Sheppard had voiced that he didn't want Hannah returning back to Earth until Hannah had recovered her memories so she could voice her own decision. He knew Hannah wanted to stay on Atlantis. He knew that he owed her to make sure she ended up where she wanted to be even if at this moment in time she couldn't remember that it was Atlantis.

"Great, does Hannah get a say in where she goes?" Demming asked.

"You really have to ask that question?" Lorne asked Demming sceptically.

"Right I forgot all you Military folk have your lives dictated to you. I thought when you are declared dead the Military don't get a say in your life anymore" Demming said Lorne and Sheppard exchanged exhausted looks. It wasn't the Military who got last say in Hannah's life it was the IOA since they funded the Atlantis expedition and the Stargate program. They had tried to explain this to Demming on many occasions but it never really sank in so they gave up.

"Yeah let's not mention the whole being declared dead to Hannah yet. I think we have overwhelmed her enough for one day" Sheppard said as he looked pointedly at Demming.

"What?" Demming asked innocently "I couldn't help myself" he said an evil grin spreading across his face.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Enjoy my present! and hopefully my Beta will still like me and won't try to murder me for posting some chapters without green light and Lee will still respect me if there are heaps of grammatical errors I have missed :-)**_

* * *

><p>Chapter 3<p>

"So…dinner?" Hannah asked interrupting the boys from their chat.

"I'll pass. See you at breakfast." Lorne said as he hopped off the bed he had been sitting on.

"I have reports to do, but we'll do lunch." Demming said with wink.

"Ok…" Hannah said with a nervous smile, Lorne and Demming nodded to Sheppard before leaving the infirmary. She looked to Sam who had finished talking with Doctors Keller and Heightmeyer.

"Colonel Carter, you want to join us for a late dinner?" Sheppard asked.

"You both go ahead. I have a lot of paperwork to finish." Sam said who looked everywhere but at Hannah. Sheppard nodded and stepped out of the way for Sam to pass.

"I don't get it." Hannah said.

"Don't get what?"

"Your leader; When I first arrived she acted like she was happy and relieved to see me and now, she won't even look me in the face" Hannah said pointing to the direction Sam had left.

"It's complicated." Sheppard told her.

"How?"

"Well…" Sheppard drawled. He wasn't sure how to answer her honestly or if it was even his place to, so he opted not to. "You'll have to ask her. Shall we go eat?" Sheppard asked as a way of changing the topic, he knew what Sam was doing. The woman was distancing herself because if his suspicions were correct then Sam would have to contact the SGC. General O'Neill and the IOA would come and take Hannah back to Earth for either a padded cell or who knows what. Sam didn't want to be hurt again and he didn't blame her, but it wasn't fair to Hannah.

"Definitely not, you have better taste than to get tangled up with the likes of Demming. So no matter what he says-"

"Don't believe it or ask you or Major Lorne for confirmation before taking his word" Hannah said finishing Sheppard's sentence for him. They stepped out of the closest Transporter in walking distance to the Mess Hall.

"Exactly," Sheppard said with a smile.

"Ok, are there any other people here I should not believe?" Hannah asked as they walked to the Mess hall.

"Nah, the rest of us are fine. It's just that Demming likes to play games for fun" Sheppard told her, although he missed how Hannah used to be he had to admit he liked how this Hannah could not hide her thoughts and her expression was completely readable.

They walked into the mess hall and due to the late hour, the main rush had been there and was gone. There were only a few people scattered around the room eating. Sheppard and Hannah grabbed trays and piled them up with food before selecting an empty table by the balcony railing. It had a beautiful view of a nearby pier; the buildings were lit up and the two moons and stars were putting on a beautiful display in the night sky.

"It is beautiful here," Hannah said as she looked out to the view.

"Yeah it doesn't get old," Sheppard agreed. Hannah picked up her sandwich and started to eat still looking out at the view. Sheppard cleared his throat "Listen" he started, Hannah turned to looked at him.

"Yeah?"

"We need to talk."

"Why do I feel as though you going to say that to me a lot?" Hannah asked with an amused smile. She picked a slice of tomato out of her sandwich and looked at it for a second before eating it.

"Because there are many things we have to talk about."

"How about you just start with what's going to happen for the next few days and perhaps what I need to know. That way I don't make too much a fool of myself." Hannah suggested with a smile.

"Ok, well few hours from now Keller is going to get results of your DNA test proving you are Lieutenant Hannah O'Neill. Colonel Carter will have to contact Earth and have your status changed to Inactive duty or whatever… I'm not entirely sure what happens in this situation."

"What is my current status?" Hannah asked even though she wasn't sure what she was asking.

"Killed in Action, Body not recovered. Basically you were presumed dead." Sheppard said awkwardly.

"Oh," Hannah said in a low voice, it hit her hard even though she already knew that most people thought she had died. Halling and the Athosians had believed she had died but just hearing it sound so clinically, made the wound reopen.

"Yeah, look there was not one person who didn't try the damnedest to find you when you were captured and we did everything in our power to find you. It was many months later you were presumed dead for official purposes only. Mainly because SG1 witnessed you ascending or so I was told. I was back in the Pegasus Galaxy by then." Sheppard told her. Hannah nodded at his words, and Sheppard inwardly sighed as he already broke his promise of being completely honest.

"Anyway, it'll take the SGC and IOA to get their act together. I reckon that'll give us a few days to get you ready."

"Ready, for what?"

"In all likelihood they are going to want you to return to Earth. But we might able to keep you here. If it proves more worthwhile to have you here. That's how they think, so don't take it personally. Just know I will do everything to help you stay because you don't want to go Earth."

"Why not?"

"It would take too long to tell you, so you're just going to have to trust me on this. When I say you want to avoid that place, let's say it's because it isn't Hannah friendly, unlike here." Sheppard told her. He knew it was bad to use misdirection but the end goal was worth it in the end. He knew with absolute certainty if she left Atlantis she would be kept on SGC base indefinitely or worse. But he didn't want to cite all of her bad past experiences she had on Earth, there were some things she needed to remember on her own.

"Ok." Hannah said feeling slightly confused but she took note of his words. He knew more about her than she did so if he said it wasn't for her then who was she to argue.

"So the Doc said you can remember general knowledge and that you just need a refresher. So Demming," Hannah groaned at the name, making Sheppard smile "will help you in regaining some of your ancient tech knowledge, You and I are going spend some time on the firing range and I'm also going to help you with navigating this place so you have no issues on getting lost. After I drop you off for the night I'm going to track down Ronon"

"Demming said I had to get Ronon on his back," Hannah said, Sheppard choked on his coffee. "In a fight," Hannah clarified she chuckled as Sheppard coughed a couple of times to clear the coffee from his lungs.

"Yeah, he's my best fighter except for you… either way he'll spar with you. It will also help in knocking a few memories loose."

"Ok sounds good" Hannah said. She was glad she wasn't going to be sitting around twiddling her thumbs doing nothing. She finished her sandwich and picked up her Jell-O cup and pulled the lid off smelling the red substance.

"It's Strawberry Jell-O" he told her. He had never seen Hannah sniff and investigate food before. It was amusing since he once watched her accidently drop an apple which she had started to eat on the ground and pick it up and use some water to wash the dirt that stuck to it before happily bitting into it without a second thought. Something McKay at the time had told her how unsanitary it was to eat the apple but Hannah just continued to eat it without a care in the world.

"It's a very unnatural colour, are you sure it's safe to consume?" Hannah asked as she poked the Jell-O suspiciously. Sheppard laughed at the comment.

"Yeah it's safe in small doses" Sheppard told her, Hannah picked up her spoon and ate a spoonful she pulled a face at the taste.

"It's very sweet" she commented as she placed the Jell-O on the tray and opting for her water to wash away the sugary taste in her mouth. "What?" she asked Sheppard as he was smiling at her.

"Nothing" he replied.

An hour after they had dinner, Sheppard left Hannah in what were now her new quarters. The room was stark and utilitarian compared to the welcoming and homely feel of Athosian dwellings she had shared on New Athos. She also had a guard standing outside her door. Sheppard said it was just a precaution as Colonel Carter and he didn't want her to be left without supervision or worse lost somewhere on Atlantis because she took a wrong turn.

He gave her a quick tour around the room pointing out the obvious things like how to turn on taps and showers to turning the lights on and off etc. Hannah nodded taking in the single bed with a bedside table, two arm chairs with a small table to the side with a water ewer and two empty glasses. There was a small ensuite bathroom with a small shower, vanity and commode. Sheppard told her when they went on their tour of Atlantis after breakfast tomorrow they would look for something more suitable, preferably bigger with a bathtub and a balcony. Hannah didn't really care as long as she had a roof over her head and a place to rest.

After he finished the tour, Sheppard said he'd return around '0800' tomorrow morning to pick her up and for her to expect a lot of people to stare, as word would have gotten out to the rest of Atlantis that she was back. Hannah nodded and bided him farewell before closing the door and looking at the room. She turned off the lights and moved one of the arm chairs so she could sit and look out the window at the view.

She pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them before placing her chin on her knee. She sighed as worry and stress churned in her stomach. She hated not having her memories, the unknown and right now she was in the thick of not knowing what was going to happen next and no escape. All she had was Sheppard one man she had grown to trust unconditionally in less than a day. There was also Major Lorne, he seemed trust worthy and then there was Demming who Hannah couldn't decide what to think of him. She didn't exactly trust him but she must have been able to relate with him on some level if they worked together in the past. She just had to not take everything he said as truth. It made her truly happy to have someone like Sheppard and Halling as they might tease her they knew when to draw the line.

Hannah released her legs and slouched down in the chair and looked at the moons in the sky and yawned deciding it was probably best to go and rest for the night.

* * *

><p>After Sheppard left Hannah's temporary quarters he headed to the gym knowing Ronon was probably beating the sand bag into oblivion or practicing his bantos fighting. At least he hoped that the man was doing either of the former as he really did not want to have the discussion he was about to have with Ronon and a sword. As Ronon sometimes practice his sword forms.<p>

Ronon had not been in a pleasant mood since the fallout with his old Satedan comrades who turned out to be wraith worshipers. Ronon had told Sheppard he would be leaving Atlantis to rejoin his comrades and while Teyla and Sheppard tried to talk him out of it he didn't budge as he believed his place was with his comrades. Sheppard knew Ronon was a mixture of angry, disappointed and hurt about all of it as he was probably excited at the thought of being with his own people doing whatever Satedans did. Teyla and Sheppard had tried in their own ways to comfort and support the big guy as they could. But Ronon wouldn't speak about what happened on the planet or what happened to his comrades so they let him be to work through it on his own since Ronon knew where to find them if and when he wanted to talk.

When Sheppard reached the gym he heard the familiar sounds of bantos sticks whipping through the air. Sheppard ducked his head around the door to confirm as much and was greeted by the familiar stench of the gym and the sight of Ronon practicing forms with Bantos sticks. He moved to stand at the doorway and waved at Ronon to get his attention.

Ronon paused and gave him a slightly dark look though when he spoke his tone was friendly enough. "Hey" Ronon said.

"Practising again" Sheppard stated.

"You want to spar?"

"Nah, I just ate and you know the rule you can only spar 30 minutes after a meal"

"I thought that was swimming"

"That too. Actually I don't know if you've heard the latest news yet" Sheppard said he paused to let Ronon reply when the Satedan shook his head Sheppard continued "Hannah is back"

Ronon furrowed his brow in confusion and twirled one of the rods in his hand.

"I thought you said she was ascended or something and not coming back" Ronon said, he had taken that news like a kick to the stomach. He took it to mean that Hannah was dead and gone but then Sheppard was never really good at explaining it and McKay went on for hours to the point Ronon was sure the man was speaking another language.

"That was the assumption but when I went to New Athos with Teyla. Halling had a surprise for us. Apparently she reappeared 13 days or so ago and because of the Stargate problems they were unable to contact us" Sheppard said as he rubbed the back of his neck. A sign that he was feeling awkward or uncomfortable Ronon waited for Sheppard to continue knowing there was probably more.

"There are a few complications" Sheppard said.

"Complications?" Ronon asked. He knew Sheppard didn't like to be the bearer of bad news but he really knew how to drag things out.

"Hannah has lost her memories; she doesn't remember anything of her life or people." Sheppard told him, Ronon was at a loss as to how he should respond or react. It wasn't like he and Hannah were in a relationship they barely even had a friendship before she had ascended. Granted he loved what time he had spent around her and she had made an impression on him. She had a way of lighting a room with a smile and being able to laugh when times were tough; a way of making almost anything seem possible.

She was a fighter like him and he had definitely not forgotten their sparring session or the last time she was on Atlantis when they spent a few intimate hours together in his quarters. He remembered every detail and emotion just as fresh as his memories of Melena that remained in him.

"Heightmeyer reckons her memories might return if we reintroduce her to her life and activities she used to do" Sheppard said filling in the silence.

"What do you want me to do?" Ronon asked.

"Train with her, Spar, you know what you're good at. Also we are on the clock. Colonel Carter is going to inform Earth tomorrow which only gives us a few days at best-"

"Before they take her back" Ronon finished.

"Yeah but we aren't going to let them" Sheppard said, Ronon raised a questioning eyebrow at him. "Don't give me that look. We help her to remember who she is, the IOA will want her to stay and then we are just contending with the Military and General O'Neill. Who don't really have a claim since she was presumed dead and her contract ended over a year ago. As to General O'Neill I don't know what to do"

"Kill him?" Ronon suggested.

"Ah I was hoping for suggestions that don't involve bodily harm or death…I'm going to hit the rack. Be at the mess at 0800 for breakfast" Sheppard said and with that he walked away leaving Ronon to his own devices.

Ronon looked down at the bantos sticks in his hands and decided he needed to clear his head. Tossing the sticks into the bin with the other bantos sticks were kept for practice before he left the gym. He wasn't sure how he felt at the news. A part of him was elated that Hannah was back but a part of him didn't want to try his luck considering how things turned out with Tyre, Rakai and Ara.

His stomach churned at what happened a few weeks back. His own people, who he considered family, turned out to be wraith worshippers. As if he hadn't already lost enough. He thought when they had first reunited that his luck had changed. Now Hannah was back and he wasn't sure he could let her walk into his life only to have her taken away again. He knew Sheppard would put up a good fight but in the end Hannah's life was controlled by Sheppard's superiors.

* * *

><p>Hannah turned her head when she heard a chiming noise sound in the room. "Come in" she called, the door opened and Sheppard came in carrying a small duffle bag he tossed it onto the bed. He noted that it was already made and wondered if she actually moved from the chair she was now seated in.<p>

"Morning! I got you some clothes" He told her gesturing to the bed. "How did you sleep?" he asked.

"Well. What is wrong with my clothing?" Hannah asked as she got up from her chair. She had slept maybe four hours at best, she showered and re-braided her hair into a french fishbone plait before watching the sunrise.

"Nothing it's just that you'll blend in more wearing this stuff" Sheppard said opening the bag he pulled out a grey jacket with black placards that looked like the jackets she had seen many of the female personnel wear on Atlantis. He also pulled out matching grey pants, a black tank top, socks and boots.

"Thank you" Hannah said as she picked up the clothes. She wanted to blend in as much as possible.

"I'll wait outside while you change" Sheppard said pointing to the door.

Hannah changed quickly into the uniform and pulled on the boots tying the laces. She checked herself in the mirror the reflection that greeted her made her smile. She zipped the jacket to just below her bust and pulled on the sleeves they were a little long but she liked it.

Hannah stepped out of her quarters where Sheppard smiled. "You know, I like the new uniform better than the old style" he commented as he looked her over, the new Atlantis uniforms were more fitted than the previous years. He had looked into her old personnel file for her uniform size it was just luck since the IOA ended up shipping too many uniforms to begin with.

"So I look alright?" Hannah asked.

"Yeah perfect come on breakfast time" Sheppard told her.

Hannah and Sheppard came into the mess unlike last night it filled with people who all stopped what they were doing and looked at them.

"They are staring" Hannah murmured to Sheppard.

"Yup, the prodigal child has returned." Demming said as he slapped a hand on her back.

"Are they going to stop?" Hannah asked

"Yeah just give them a moment" Sheppard said and true to his word they stopped gawking and all slowly started to applaud and cheer for some unknown reason. Hannah looked completely confused and uncomfortable. "Ok, Ok, Knock it off, I'd like to have breakfast sometime today." Sheppard said loudly to the room. He earned a few laughs as he bowed and played coy like the applause was for him until the applause subsided and the people in the room went back to what they were doing. The line to the buffet cleared to the side and Sheppard pushed Hannah forward so they could enjoy the perks.

After Hannah had her tray piled up with fresh fruit and pancakes she was escorted to a table that had obviously been reserved since it was the only completely empty table. She sat down with Sheppard to her right, Demming opposite her next to Lorne who decided to join them.

"Why were they clapping?" Hannah asked, Demming's hand shot up in the air.

"Oh, Oh, pick me! Pick me! I know the answer!" Demming said like an overzealous kid.

"Go ahead"

"You're a freaking hero!" Demming told her surprised such a tidbit of knowledge wasn't shared with her.

"No I'm not." Hannah scoffed.

"Oh yeah you are! You ascended and kicked super evil Ori ass thus ending what was going to be one spectacularly gruesome and long war in the Milky Way Galaxy" Demming said with a smile.

"No" Hannah said.

"Ah yes I was told the story by a reliable source, Vala Mal Doran, who told me gross detail what happened. You were bad ass and Vala reckoned you were going to kill SG1 and take over the Galaxy with Adria. Ow" Demming said as Sheppard kicked him under the table.

"Save story time for later" Sheppard told him in a low voice before Demming could ask why Lorne spoke.

"Morning Colonel Carter" Lorne said Hannah turned to see Sam come up to the table.

"Good morning, may I join you?" Sam asked.

"By all means" Sheppard said, Sam smiled and sat down at the end of the table next to Hannah.

"Demming was telling Hannah how he's going to reintroduce her to Atlantean technology this afternoon" Lorne said.

"Really?" Sam said surprised that Demming was actually volunteering his time to help Hannah when he usually tried to do as little as possible. Sam never asked more of him as his work was impeccable and handed in before it was due.

"Yup right after lunch today we got some exciting plans to look over schematics and read technical manuals… honestly I'm getting goose bumps about how awesome it will be." Demming said in a mocking tone. Hannah smothered a laugh as she ate a strawberry off her tray.

"I thought this morning I'd take Hannah to the firing range and a tour of Atlantis" Sheppard told Sam. "Unless you want to?" Sheppard asked.

"Oh it's ok if you do it. I have a lot of work to do today." Sam said as she took a sip of her coffee she had spent most of the night tossing and turning trying to reconcile her thoughts about Hannah. Her inner military voice told her she had to contact Earth and let them take Hannah off Atlantis as Hannah was not a member of the expedition and the fact she lost her memories meant she was better off on Earth where she could somewhere with a stable environment and a strong support structure. But her 'inner Sam' wanted keep Hannah's presence a secret. She knew they would take Hannah away and Sam would probably never see her again. Sadly the Military side was winning the argument because Sam knew it wasn't fair to O'Neill and the rest of SG1 not to know Hannah was alive even if she didn't remember them.

Thus the crux of the situation made Sam feel guilty as she knew she would be the bearer of bad news.

"So Hannah how was your first night?" Sam asked. Hannah looked distracted as she was looking over her shoulder. Sam noted many of the people in the mess were looking her direction and murmuring something about her. "Hannah?" Sam prompted Hannah turned her face back to Sam.

"Sorry it's unnerving" Hannah commented tilting her head to the room.

"They'll get over it by lunch" Sheppard said.

"If not I'll strip down naked and paint myself blue and do an interpretive dance on this table. That'll give them something to stare at" Demming said thoughtfully. He started to wave his arms above his head as if slowly choreographing his dance. Hannah couldn't help but laugh at his seriousness.

"Please don't" Sam said.

"I second that" Lorne added.

"Save it for the talent show" Sheppard told him as he was laughing with Hannah.

"Atlantis has a talent show?" Demming asked.

"No" Sheppard answered laughing harder as Demming looked put out for a moment before laughing himself.

"Shame, cause I reckon I'd win" Demming said.

Breakfast continued on the same note of Demming throwing out incredulous one-liners and jokes to the point Hannah feared she might choke on her pancakes from laughing. Sheppard smiled and joined in the laughs but couldn't help notice Ronon's absence from breakfast.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Three hours later, Sheppard and Hannah were still walking around Atlantis on his tour they were slowed down by people Hannah had apparently knew and worked with at some stage of her time on Atlantis. They usually stopped them and Sheppard made the introductions and kind words were exchanged with some story about how she and that person were connected etc.

By the 20th person Hannah wished that she had been given her personnel file to read so she would know what everyone was going on about. At best she had a whole heap of unfinished stories and tidbits about herself and other people all random places and times.

It would have been better to know everything she needed to know from start to finish as she felt mind boggled. So far she had heard she was an exceptional fighter and many of the marines on base were waiting to spar with her. Apparently she was also proficient at many things like poker, drinking, shooting guns and throwing knives. She believed the talk about her 'mad' gun skills when they had stopped at the firing range.

Sheppard had given her a P90 and told her to dismantle and reassemble the weapon. It sparked a 15 minute argument where Hannah doubted she could do it and Sheppard adamant that she could. Hannah only argued because she could not do what he was asking, well at the time she was sure that she couldn't, until while they were arguing she had dismantled it with her hands but without looking.

Sheppard wore a smug expression as he was proven correct. Hannah looked down at the dismantled weapon on the table in awe and she didn't know how but she just knew exactly where each piece was supposed to go and fit together. In her mind, images flashed like a mini movie showing what she needed to do. She picked up the pieces and reassembled the gun while laughing at how it came to her so easily and the fact she actually remembered something.

They even indulged in target practice shooting, and Hannah found it came to her with ease and took no effort to hit the target or anything she wanted to shoot. It had been such a rush to remember how to do it and how natural it felt. After an hour was used up on the range, Sheppard had decided it was better they leave for the Gym so the scientist who were still in training didn't get completely put off by her skills.

"Is there anything I'm not good at?" Hannah asked Sheppard as they walked down the hallway to the Gym.

"Yeah, you can't sing or dance to save your own life and I pretty sure you can't cook…Umm you're also really bad at Basketball but I think you were pretending at that considering your hand eye coordination is excellent. Though I think you just did it so the boys could beat you at something" he said thoughtfully as they entered the gym.

"Then I'll try not to indulge in those activities" Hannah said with a smile her smile soon dropped as she watched the fight going on in the room.

It was two tall men fighting it out on the mats throwing punches, kicks and blocking at high speeds. They seemed to be evenly matched until one of the two men who had dreads landed a heavy right hook. The receiver of the punch staggered just a second giving the one with dreads the opening he needed to finish the fight.

In a three combo move it was over, Hannah watched as the victor pushed the dreads out of the way revealing his face. Hannah stopped breathing for a moment and her heart started to beat at an erratic rate as she couldn't believe her eyes. It was him, the same face, eyes and build he was the man in the only few peaceful dreams she had had in the last fortnight intermingled between the nights of agonizing nightmares. She was not going to tell him though, to save herself from embarrassment just in case it was just a fiction her brain made up.

She watched completely enthralled now questioning if the dreams were actual memory or mere fantasy her mind had cooked up to give her a break. He helped the other guy he had just beaten off the floor and turned around to her and Sheppard.

Ronon caught the bottle of water Sheppard had tossed him and walked over to him and Hannah.

"Where were you at breakfast?" Sheppard asked he had a smile on his face as he watched Hannah staring at Ronon at first like she was dreaming and then like a kid stared at an ice cream sundae with all the extras. He was halfway tempted to joke but thought better to let the situation play out. As it was rare to see Ronon look a mixture of joy and shocked.

"I overslept" He answered as he eyes roved over Hannah's appearance. She was alive and standing right in front of him equally gobsmacked. He was expecting her to look at him blankly but she recognised him.

"Ronon Dex, Hannah O'Neill you two-" Sheppard stopped mid sentence and tapped his ear piece "Sheppard here" he listened for a moment before returning his attention to them.

"I'll be back" Sheppard said leaving them. Hannah watched Sheppard leave going past her guard who was looking at her with raised eyebrows. She really didn't like that kid.

"You came back" Ronon said Hannah snapped her eyes back to Ronon. Remembering they were halfway through introductions.

Hannah extended her hand out to him "Apparently…It's nice to re-meet you" she said, he took her hand and offered her a closed smile.

"Sheppard told me you don't remember anything" he said cutting to the chase but not letting go of her hand. He really wanted to wrap his arms around her but restrained himself to holding her hand. Not wanting to get ahead of himself.

"Not everything no but I remember how to dismantle a P90 without looking at it among other things" Hannah offered.

"What other things?" he asked, he wanted her to admit that she knew him. He could see it in her eyes.

"I speak other languages not that I remember learning them. Sheppard believes I will remember my military training and martial arts knowledge as well I just have to be reacquainted with the skill and it will appear like magic" Hannah said rolling her eyes.

"Does it appear like magic?"

"Some things do yes and it's frustrating and enjoyable at the same time. Frustrating because I want to remember on my own and not be forced into the tasks and arguing with Sheppard" she said with a sigh.

"Well if you don't want to learn to spar…" Ronon drawled. Hannah shook her head adamantly.

"No I want to learn from you and I want to remember" Hannah told him.

"I don't want to force you"

"Something tells me you wouldn't force me into anything I wouldn't want to do" Hannah said with a smile. Ronon returned the smile and she suddenly realised how salacious the comment sounded and a blush tinged her cheeks.

She looked away and cleared her throat for a moment only to blush further as she noticed a few people staring at them. She pulled her hand out of Ronon's reluctantly and folded her arms across her chest self conscious of all the stares it was not easy to get use to.

"Anyway I'd appreciate any time you can afford me" Hannah told him, seeing him staring at her also.

"Sure, how about tomorrow morning we go for a run and then come back here. See what you remember" Ronon suggested.

"Sounds good"

"What sounds good?" Sheppard asked rejoining them.

"Ronon is going to take me running tomorrow morning" Hannah said.

"What time?" Sheppard asked.

"5am" Ronon answered, Hannah didn't argue but Sheppard looked reluctant which was the reason why Ronon chose such an early hour. Sheppard liked to start his day around 6am any earlier and he lacked the motivation unless it was to go flying.

"Have fun with that" Sheppard said he looked down at his watch "It's time for lunch and then you get to spend the afternoon with Demming"

"Yay!" Hannah said unenthusiastically. Sheppard chuckled while Ronon raised a questioning eyebrow.

"You coming big guy?" Sheppard asked Ronon.

"Yeah I'll meet you there" He said.

* * *

><p>The table erupted with laughter as Demming regaled the table with his morning of dealing with McKay and Zelenka as they had been arguing about the writing of a new streamlining program designed to boost its operating efficiency.<p>

Hannah picked up her apple and knife from her tray. She proceeded to cut into her apple and stopped looking up from the apple to Sheppard at her left and then Ronon sitting opposite her at the table along with Teyla, Lorne, Demming and McKay who was currently glaring at Demming while eating his lunch.

The man ate in a very odd fashion like an animal nibbling but very fast.

"Hannah?" Sheppard asked.

"Hmm?"

"You ok?" he said with a smile noting she had her knife paused midcut.

"We've done this before"

"What have lunch? Every day." Demming said chuckling.

"No, I remember sitting here but with a better knife" Hannah commented as she looked at the knife in her hand.

"Oh the dreaded Déjà vu" McKay said sarcastically.

"Excuse me?" Hannah said McKay hadn't been particularly friendly when he met her. He had first been excited to pile work on her but then he heard she had no memory and then he decided she wasn't worth his time or at least that was the feeling Hannah got.

"Déjà vu, the experience of thinking that a new situation had occurred before or an experience that causes you to remember something" Demming said. Ronon pulled a knife out of nowhere and offered it to Hannah.

"Thank you" Hannah said as she took the knife he offered with a smile. She pulled the knife she had been using out of the apple and resumed cutting into the apple with Ronon's knife. "Anyway I remember us talking about a crash and it being your fault" Hannah said looking to McKay as she cut a small wedge or apple and proceeded to eat it.

"Trust you to remember that of all things and it wasn't my fault" McKay said.

"Whatever you say" Hannah said in a shrug as she ate another piece of apple. McKay's jaw dropped while the others waited for him to blow up into an angry tirade.

"No, we don't believe McKay when he says it's not his fault about crash" Sheppard told her.

"Oh ok but we did have that conversation I remember you saying something about my hair and Major Lorne saying something about an article and-" Hannah stopped as she was about to say she remembered Ronon staring at her kind of like he was now.

"And...?" Sheppard asked.

"I don't know you tell me that's as much as I remember" Hannah said a blush gracing her cheeks as she tried not to look at Ronon. The man had some kind of magnetic pull on her. She concentrated on her apple hoping they wouldn't call on her.

"Well we did have lunch few months ago now?" Sheppard offered looking at someone to correct him. "We talked about a lot of things that lunch" he said trying to remember himself.

"Lorne kept saying Article 134" Ronon said.

"Yeah I remember that" Sheppard said with a smile

"And a story about M3 something" Hannah offered.

"What is an 'Article 134'?" Teyla asked.

"Fraternization. Conduct that compromises the chain of command, resulting in the appearance of partiality, or otherwise undermined good order, discipline, authority, or morale etc., etc." Demming answered surprising everyone at the table.

"How do you know that?" Sheppard asked Demming.

"I watch JAG. Not only is it educational Catherine Bell is hot. We'll watch it later" Demming said with a wink at Hannah.

"What's JAG?" Hannah asked.

"It's a TV show about Military Law" Lorne said.

"No it's an American adventure/legal drama television show that was produced by Belisarius Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television. It's like A few Good Men meets Top Gun. It was a highly successful show that ran for 10 seasons" Demming said shaking his head in mock disgust at Lorne.

"Anyway, I'm sure your afternoon will be educational whether you watch JAG or do some actual work" Sheppard said.

* * *

><p>After lunch, Demming talked ear off the whole way to his laboffice where he worked about what his plans were for them for the next few hours before they rejoined the group for dinner.

When they reached his office she was surprised at how open and spacious the room was. It had a couple of tables with random objects piled with books and a couple of computers not to mention a couch facing a big screen that was currently blank.

Demming pulled a stool over to one of the cleaner tables and patted the seat "Take a seat" he said.

"You actually work in this mess?" Hannah asked looking around the room.

"Yep a clean desk is the sign of a sick mind" Demming told her as he lifted up papers and other objects looking for something.

"If that were true wouldn't this place be immaculate?" Hannah asked dryly. Demming looked up for a moment in shock.

"Cheeky, I think you're lying about that memory loss" he told her, he must have found what he was looking for as he pulled a tablet computer from under a pile of books. He turned it one and touched the screen at a fast pace before smiling.

"Ok here we go" Demming said sliding a tablet computer in front of her it had the schematics of puddle jumper and side notes all in Ancient. He didn't bother with the English version as he knew she could read Ancient. Hannah looked down at it and furrowed her brow in confusion.

"What's with the block stuff" Hannah asked pointing to the Ancient.

"That's ancient, you can read it" Demming told, Hannah took a deep breath knowing she was going to have another 'yes you can' 'no I can't' argument.

"Ok I'll try" She told him, she looked down at the screen and waited for something to come to her when a man walked straight into the room cursing. Hannah looked up and the man stopped and looked at her wide eyed.

"I don't think that last part you're saying is humanly possible" Hannah told the man.

"Lt O'Neill, I heard you were back" he said speaking in English.

"Dr. Radik Zelenka, Hannah" Demming said. Hannah gave a small wave and smile from her seat.

"I apologize it's just that McKay can be so infuriating. What are you two doing?" Zelenka asked wanting to take his mind off his own problems.

"Demming believes I can read the Lego block message" Hannah said holding up the screen of Ancient.

"You can read it, back me up here Zelenka" Demming said

"He's right you are fluent in Ancient" Zelenka said.

"And I've looked at it for 5 minutes and I have nothing except that this one looks like a backwards F" Hannah told them pointing at the letter 'a'.

"That's an 'a'" Zelenka said corrected her.

"Oh well now I know it's the letter 'a' " Hannah said with a smile. Demming narrowed his eyes at her for a moment wondering if she was playing a trick on him. He then decided to test her.

"Ok" Demming pulled the tablet computer and opened up another program and opened a file completely written in Ancient "Can you read this?" he asked showing her the screen.

"No, well except for the letter 'a' it's all means nothing to me" Hannah answered honestly.

"How about this" he changed it the script to English.

"Yes"

"How about this one?" He asked as he changed it to Japanese.

"Amazingly yes"

"This one?" he said showing Goa'uld.

"No" she said after a few minutes of squinting and turning her head to the side.

"Interesting… just two more" he said, she showed her another file in Asgard and she shook her head.

"Should I know them?" she asked.

"One more" he showed her another word file in Russian.

"Yes I can read that" Hannah said. Demming looked at Zelenka who looked just as concerned as he did.

"You're supposed to be fluent in Goa'uld, Ancient, Asgard and what other languages you have learned. Heightmeyer said impersonal knowledge and secondary language acquisition comes under that heading" Demming said looking at Hannah who just shrugged.

"Well I'm telling you I don't remember it and I can't read it like the others"

"Well technically you can read and write Asgard but you can't speak it as humans don't have the vocal cords to make certain sounds necessary to communicate it." Zelenka said on a random note.

"Ok, still doesn't change the fact that I don't know them" Hannah said to him.

"_Do you understand what I am saying?"_ Demming asked in Russian.

"_Yes, of course"_ Hannah said replying in Russian. Her face lit up with a smile at how the language rolled off her tongue. It still amazed her how it felt.

"Speak Czech to her" Demming said to Zelenka.

"We already know she understands Czech. She learnt it her first year on Atlantis but she wasn't fluent" Zelenka said.

"Right… umm let's see" Demming tapped his chin before her rattle off several more questions in various languages.

After an hour of testing Hannah they found she was fluent in Latin, Spanish, French, Japanese and Russian with passable German, Czech, Mandarin and crude smatterings of Italian.

"Ok, let's try this again" he said pushing the tablet computer in front of her the screen had ancient writing.

"I can't read it" she said after a few moments.

"Well at least you can speak Latin it's half the battle" Demming said rubbing his face looking to Zelenka who had decided to hide out in Demming's office.

"Oh are we going to sing the head, shoulders, knees and toes song?" Hannah asked in a teasing tone it had been fun frustrating Demming.

"No, you are going to take this computer and learn Ancient for a couple of hours and then I'll test you and then we are going to bludge and watch some TV" Demming told her.

"Ok can I sit on the couch or do I have to sit here with you two staring at me?" Hannah asked them.

"Couch is all yours" Demming said with a smile.

* * *

><p>"Dr. Keller ran the test twice to be sure" Sam said as she sat down behind her desk. Sheppard took a seat opposite in the guest chair. He noted the rearrangement of the office furniture and the added personal touches.<p>

There were her Accreditations hanging on the wall and on her desk next to the computer a framed photo of Sam herself with Hannah, Teal'c, and O'Neill. It looked to be a perfect sunny day, as the group smiled to the camera. They were all dressed in civilian clothing except for Hannah who was wearing USMC dress uniform. He noted the rank 'private' and knew it had to be when she graduated basic. Not hard to judge the time since there were other families and men and women dressed in USMC dress uniform in the background of the picture.

"Confirmed what I already knew?" Sheppard asked with a slightly smug smile.

"Yes, it is Hannah and I wanted to tell you I have contacted the SGC so they are now aware of the situation" Sam said her tone showed how she was distancing herself from the issue as she could since she was still conflicted.

"How long until they come?" Sheppard asked.

"Tomorrow"

Sheppard looked up surprised "That's fast" he said. He had hoped for a few days at least.

"General O'Neill and Dr Jackson will be arriving through the galactic bridge tomorrow morning to discuss what's going to happen next" Sam said sitting back in her chair she tried to swallow her personal feelings about what was going to happen.

"What is going to happen?" Sheppard asked.

"You know as well as I that Hannah has to go back to Earth Sheppard" Sam told him.

"I disagree" Sheppard said his tone said he was ready to argue until they were blue in the face and Sam was not in the mood to fight with him.

"Sheppard, we don't get a say no matter what as General O'Neill outranks both of us and he is Hannah's next of kin. So it will be discussed and then go from there. Please don't make this any harder than it has to be" Sam said in a slightly pleading tone.

Sheppard held his tongue for now knowing it was not easy for Sam to ask this of him. He reluctantly nodded rubbing the back of neck uncomfortable with the situation.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"I'm not waking her. One of you two are going it do I learned my lesson last time never sneak up on a sleeping Marine" Demming said in a low voice to Sheppard and Ronon. They were all looking down at Hannah who was lying on the couch fast asleep clutching a tablet computer to her chest like a sleeping kid would hold a bear. She looked peaceful as a ghost of a smile played across her lips.

"She isn't that bad" Ronon said, he still remembered waking her once and she only wanted to bury herself under the blankets and closer to him. Not that he would tell either of the men beside him.

"Oh really last time I tried to wake her. She grabbed in a headlock and tried to choke me to death until she realised I wasn't a bad guy" Demming told Ronon with a look of 'you have no idea how wrong your statement is'.

"It's all about the approach isn't that right Ronon?" Sheppard asked his smile growing wider.

Ronon shot him a dark look not amused. Sheppard coughed to cover his laugh and then gestured they all step outside of Demming's office.

Once outside Sheppard turned to the two men "General O'Neill and Dr Jackson are going to be here tomorrow to discuss Hannah and what will happen next" Sheppard said.

"Dr Jackson what's the point of him being there?" Demming asked.

"I have no idea" Sheppard said. Ronon raised a questioning eyebrow as he didn't know Dr Jackson or his function. Only that he used to work with Hannah and they were on the same team.

"If anything he's probably going to try some kind of spiel on Hannah about how great Earth is and how they were awesome friends" Demming said darkly.

"Jealous?" Sheppard asked.

"Jealous of that hypocrite? No not even the slightest. He's all 'let's save the downtrodden and the Galaxy from evil!' and when she went missing he turned around and agreed that she should be written off. Now General O'Neill I can understand he's her Daddio and shouldn't there be an IOA rep don't you think they'd want their two cents?" Demming asked.

"I don't know" Sheppard said with a shrug.

"Ok so what are we going to do now?" Ronon asked.

"Wake Hannah and have dinner I'm starved" Demming replied being obtuse.

"I was thinking more about tomorrow" Ronon said.

"Right, well I can't help as I'm leaving at 010 hundred to go to M39-067" Demming told them.

"It's 10 hundred no '0' in front" Sheppard corrected before continuing "Anyway I had a plan but now we are going to have to improvise since I don't have a backup and we aren't going to shoot or kill anyone either. Lorne has enough paperwork" Sheppard said to Ronon.

* * *

><p>"You're all really quiet" Hannah stated as she ate a bite of her dinner. Demming had dropped a few heavy books making Hannah jump awake with a start from her nap. She didn't appreciate the jumpstart but before she could share her displeasure she noted Sheppard and Ronon's presence which led her being taken to dinner.<p>

"We are eating it happens" Demming said. Hannah rolled her eyes at him as he continued to shovel food into his mouth at fast rate.

"No, you've been quiet for most of the afternoon" Hannah said.

"How would you know you were nanna napping on my couch for all of it" Demming said.

"I was studying" Hannah countered weakly with a smile. Demming made a derisive noise.

"The back of your eyelids" Demming told her.

"I can read the Lego language" Hannah told him before she poked her tongue out at him. The two of them had fallen into a sibling friendship of sorts in their short 5 hours together even though one hour of that time Hannah had been unconscious.

"Demming is rubbing off on you" Sheppard said with an amused smile to Hannah referring to Ancient as the 'Lego language'. He couldn't help but notice in the short time she had spent on Atlantis how Hannah was slowly falling back into her old self with one exception she didn't seem as heavily burdened as before or completely hung up on being professional.

"I assure you he didn't rub off or on me" Hannah said taking the comment literally.

"If it was an option I'd be rubbing all over you like peanut butter on jelly but your boyfriend might get upset" Demming told her.

"I don't have a boyfriend" Hannah said she then looked to Sheppard "Do I have one?" she asked for confirmation.

"I'm not sure… Ronon?" Sheppard asked passing the buck. He was one of only a few people who knew Hannah and Ronon had some history in what could be considered a potential relationship. Sheppard had even debated teasing the big guy for hooking up with Hannah and disappearing for four hours with said woman but he decided against it for reasons of self preservation.

That was until now in which he couldn't help himself. Hannah seemed oblivious to some point thanks to memory loss and Sheppard figured he might not get another opportunity like this one again. Ronon narrowed his eyes at Sheppard for a second before he shrugged.

"I don't know I only met you twice" he said answering honestly. He looked to Sheppard silently challenging Sheppard to contradict him.

"Ok, so then what's got everyone quiet? Was I talking in my sleep? Halling says I do that sometimes" Hannah said as she pushed her empty tray away from her indicating she was finished.

"No you weren't though you should know some visitors are coming from Earth who want to meet you" Sheppard said casually.

"Oh? Who?" Hannah asked she then smiled at the stupidity of her question that even if Sheppard told her the names of the visitors she still wouldn't know who they are.

"General O'Neill, he's your father and Dr Jackson-"

"He's a hypocrite" Demming said interrupting Sheppard. Hannah looked at Demming who continued to eat not looking up.

"You and he used to work on the same team SG1 you remember me telling you about that?" Sheppard asked ignoring Demming's comment.

"Yes I remember" Hannah said with a frown. Yet another illustrious story of how she was one of the best and worked with the best which only served as a reminder of how far away she felt from that person she used to be.

"What's with the upside down smile?" Demming asked.

"Nothing, just thinking about something" Hannah commented as she picked up her glass of water and taking a sip. "So why is Dr Jackson a hypocrite?" Hannah asked.

"Remember the rule we said about Demming?" Sheppard asked.

"Don't listen to him?" Hannah offered.

"That hurts" Demming said as he pretended to be hurt by the conversation.

"Exactly, don't judge anyone until you have the whole story either" Sheppard said ignoring Demming's comment.

"Ok. Are you going to eat that biscuit?" Hannah asked Sheppard as she eyed his chocolate chip biscuit on his tray. Sheppard picked up his biscuit and broke it in half handing her one half.

"Thank you!" Hannah said taking the half and smiling as she ate the half.

* * *

><p>Hannah bit the inside of her cheek tasting blood as she refused to scream. Her body trembled from the remains of pain that lingered in her body. Her skin crawled as he leaned over her. He was so close she could feel his hot breath on her face. She flinched as she felt his hand traced the column of her neck and move to caress her cheek.<p>

"I wish you would open your heart to your true path with me" he whispered in her ear like they were lover's words. He gently lifted her head off the ground to face him. She whimpered in pain and tears ran down her face of their own accord. He gave a closed smile his piercing blue eyes looking over her face as he brushed her tears away.

"Kill me" She breathed her voice so scratchy it was unrecognisable to her ears. She felt so tired and in pain she just wanted it to be over.

"Why would I waste so much potential?" he asked as he looked on her warmly again as he traced one of his hands down her face to her neck and wrapped his hand tightly around her neck.

"I will never..." Hannah gasped as he tightened his grip around her throat cutting off her air supply just enough to silence her but not enough to kill her.

"No the funny thing is you will and it's only a question of how much pain you will unnecessarily endure until then" he said he pushed her back down and proceeded to tighten his hold on Hannah's neck.

Hannah snapped awake at the loud banging at her door. She heaved for air and clutched her throat as she tried to calm her racing heart.

"Coming!" Hannah called as the knocking sounded again at the door. She jumped out of bed and quickly threw on her old clothing and boots the Athosians gave her and opened the door.

Ronon stood at the doorway looking down at the dishevelled Hannah. She was covered in sheen of perspiration and looked pale and panicked as she took slow and deliberate breaths.

"You ok?" Ronon asked worried for her.

"Yeah, rough night" Hannah told him feeling self conscious under his gaze. "Let's go" she said, Ronon nodded and stepped out of the doorway. He made a note to keep an eye on her and make sure she didn't push herself.

A couple of hours later, they had finished an hour long run and progressed to the gym to spar. The run had been at a slow but steady pace around the east pier they didn't speak through the run as Hannah was locked up in her own thoughts.

She was trying to shake off her nightmare. The run had been good at distracting her and she appreciated that Ronon didn't ask her any questions or push her to talk he probably preferred silence.

They now stood facing each other in the gym they were both covered in sweat holding Bantos sticks. Ronon swung his Bantos sticks in his hands waiting for Hannah to strike first. Hannah was slightly hesitant as the last hour she had learned she could spar with him but her skills were rusty and she was good but Ronon was better. He had managed to overpower her a few times resulting with her landing hard on her back.

She wasn't ready to give up until she got the upper hand and Ronon was on his back at least once. It was the first time since arriving that she felt frustrated about something other than not having her memories.

She made her first move and struck out as he blocked the move and then it became a flurry of action as the sticks clashed.

Until Hannah knocked one of Ronon's sticks out of his hands it hit the floor and rolled away but it didn't stop Hannah. She continued to swinging the Bantos sticks at a fast rate and he kept up blocking and parrying her assaults on him.

Hannah turned and performed a round house kick only to have Ronon catch her foot he pushed her leg up and used his rod to knock out her standing leg. This time instead of landing on her back she instantly dropped her rods and did a back flip landing on her feet.

"Better" Ronon said to her, it only annoyed her as he wore a smug smile waiting for her next move. Hannah right in that minute wanted nothing more than to wipe that smile off his smug face.

"Better because I finally didn't land on my ass?" Hannah asked as she looked to where her Bantos sticks laid on the ground and thinking of her next move whether she would try for the sticks or just use her hands. Ronon seemed to sense what she was thinking and kicked up one the sticks into air and caught it before kicking the spare to the side of the room not giving her a choice.

"Yeah" he said as he swung one of the sticks in his hand showing off. When they had started their sparring session he had tossed her the Bantos sticks and they started with a warm up of slow motions reacquainting her. He was actually surprised at how much she remembered and soon they started sparring no holding back. He soon realised that Hannah's Bantos skills were very rusty as he could see the welts on her forearms where she had blocked a couple of his strikes with her arms and not her sticks. That and he had managed to trip her up a few times which hadn't happened the first time they sparred.

He found it amusing that if he had tried Bantos fighting with Hannah the first time he might have had an advantage. Possibly had won first time round but then it was good to be humbled once in a while.

Instead of waiting for her to make the first move he did. He moved fast and swung both sticks simultaneously Hannah bent backwards and watched the sticks wave above her torso before she straightened and stepped back, Ronon then stepped forward and lunged with one stickd. She side stepped to her left dodging the blow.

Ronon barely had time to react before Hannah used her left arm to wrap around his extended arm she used her arm and spun around in an intricate move that not only moved his left arm out of her space but allowed her to move into his space leaving his chest area exposed for her to hit him with well placed palm strikes to his head and torso. She used so much force when she striked his sternum he stumbled back stunned at how flawlessly the move had been executed.

He had seen this style of martial arts before it wasn't Silat that Hannah had professed to love after their first meeting nor the mixed martial arts that was standard for Marines. This style was new but he wasn't surprised that she knew more than one style of fighting he was just taken back at how she made it look so effortless. Her moves so well honed he wished he could watch her fight and not be on the receiving end of the blows.

She waited for him to recover and watched him smile at her for a moment before he started towards her again swinging the rods toward her. She ducked, dodged and swerve out of his moves not getting hit once. He tried to stab her with his right bantos stick and she caught his right arm gripping his right arm firmly immobilizing it.

He tried to swipe her with his free left hand with the bantos stick. She pulled back still holding onto his arm just in the nick of time feeling the air rush past her as the rod swept by her face. She used her position and kicked his left arm she missed and he turned his body out so they stood side by side with his arm still locked the bantos stick now pushed against her neck.

She smiled up at him and he found himself distracted for a moment at how beautiful she was in that moment covered in sweat just like him, her hair plastered to her face her eyes sparkled in excitement and joy of being able to match him finally after labouring with Bantos sticks with no effect. He could feel her pulse that was ramped up by adrenalin and the exertion of their fight. He was about to make a comment when he felt Hannah wrench the stick that had been held at her neck from his hands.

She swung her rod and felt the stick connect with flesh. Hannah froze at the smell and sight of the blood as Ronon swung his head back to reveal a deep gash above his right brow.

"Ronon! I'm so sorry!" Hannah said in shock she dropped her stick immediately and moved to where Ronon had discarded a towel he used to wrap his bantos sticks with.

"It's nothing just a small cut" he said as he gingerly touched his brow looking at the blood on his fingers.

"Let me see" Hannah said as she came back to his side she had folded up the towel and waited for Ronon to let her look. He looked down at her amused with her concern in what felt like a tiny graze. Though he was probably lucky she had only caught him with the edge of the stick the full blow would have knocked him unconscious.

He allowed her to wipe some of the blood away from around the wound. He watched her face closely as she examined the damage on his. She had cute little freckles over her nose and cheeks. He was taking in all the changes in Hannah from the last time he had been with her. Her eyes had changed colour they used to be a dark chocolate brown yet up close he saw they had noticed there were hints of lighter brown and gold that he hadn't noticed earlier.

There were also the scars which he wondered about. Where she got the small scar on her jaw he had noticed the other scars he noticed on her forearms he had also noticed she had some on her back when he had hit her a little too hard in their earlier training he inspected her back. He winced as Hannah accidently dabbed part of the wound she blushed and mumbled "Sorry". The apologising was new as well as he mused Sheppard's shocked expression when Hannah uttered the word. She was not known for apologising in her 'past life' as Demming had told her.

"Don't worry about it" he said having her close to him and not being able to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless was verging on the side of torture. He needed to put space between them.

"Don't worry about it? you need stitches" She told him. He held her hand that had been tending his wound. Their eyes locked for a moment and Hannah felt her stomach flip as a rush of familiarity, déjà vu washed over her. She felt the urge to drop the towel and cup Ronon's face with her hands and kiss him. Her body was warming up as she just knew how those lips felt against her skin and how intoxicating it would be. He licked his lips and for a moment she swore he was thinking the same thing but then he cleared his throat breaking the moment.

"It'll heal and I gave you a few good bruises" he said with a smile changing the subject. He let go of her hand. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea that he spar with her. It was true they were both going to be bruised and battered until she relearned her limits. Nothing he wasn't prepared to endure as he liked being challenged it kept his skills sharp.

But he wasn't completely prepared to have her effectively get under his skin and distract him. She was just another fantasy waiting to be crushed by reality. She would be taken back to Earth and out of his world he would not get attached to her. So far it was not going well the mantra was not working for him.

"Yeah that was to humble my cocky ass. You didn't draw blood" Hannah replied she looked away embarrassed by her wayward thoughts he was obviously did not see her the way she saw him. It made her start to think that the dreams were more likely delusional fantasies than memories resurfacing.

"Maybe next time, how about we get some breakfast" Ronon suggested.

"Sounds good I'm starved but shower and Infirmary first" Hannah told him as she tossed the towel to him. She turned away putting space between them by picking up the discarded Bantos sticks off the floor.

"I'll meet you at the infirmary, since I want you to get your back checked" he told her there was no way he was going to listen to Dr Keller lecture him about reckless behaviour when Hannah was as guilty as he was.

* * *

><p>An hour and half later, Teyla and Heightmeyer watched with amused expressions as Ronon proceeded to massage the welts on Hannah's left forearm. The two had come into the Mess hall looking worse for wear but in good spirits.<p>

Ronon was dressed in a navy kaftan shirt and brown pants while Hannah was dressed in the standard Atlantis uniform with black placards in the jacket. It was more fitted than the outfit she wore their first meeting on New Athos. Her hair pulled back into a fishbone plait she was laughing at something Ronon had said and he shrugged at her before they joined the line for food.

They had collected breakfast and Heightmeyer waved them over to join them. Teyla noted how the two winced as they took their seats. Heightmeyer was already in 'Doctor' mode as she asked how Hannah's transition was going along with a few other questions. Hannah's answers seemed open and honest for most part but there was something in her demeanour that was guarded.

The rest of breakfast progressed well as Hannah asked Teyla how the Athosians were going and news of what was happening on New Athos. When that topic was exhausted Teyla asked Ronon how Dr Keller was considering his freshly bandaged brow. This made Hannah blush as she explained they had been training this morning and she forgot herself for a moment and got carried away.

Ronon remained his usual quiet self and shrugged off Hannah's apology saying they were even. Teyla couldn't help but smile at Ronon being humbled by someone else than herself when it came to sparring. But the smile slipped when Hannah had shrugged off her jacket and sat back after finishing her meal relaxing. Teyla shot Ronon a shocked look as Hannah had welts and bruises all blue and red looking angry and painful on her arms.

Hannah looked completely at ease until Ronon asked for her arm she hesitantly held her arm out to him but did not question why. She groaned in pain as he gently massaged her arm. The women watched with amused expressions as Hannah looked to be in pain but let Ronon continue his ministrations.

It was encouraging to see in less than two days Hannah wasn't reserved in trusting them. It was quite a sight to actually see Ronon interact with Hannah, the way they looked at one another and how he touched her gently with care. It was very rare for Ronon to show his softer side in public. He usually remained aloof not taking much care or time to interact with anyone except for Teyla and Sheppard.

"Is this revenge for some past transgression I can't remember?" Hannah asked in a pained voice. She bit softly into her arm to distract herself making small whining noises of pain but let Ronon continue.

"No, it's to help you heal faster" Ronon told her. He couldn't help but smile slightly at how cute she was between her little whimpers and pained half smiles.

"How?" Hannah asked she leaned away from him as she bit her bottom lip looking pained. Ronon held onto her arm and continued his ministrations.

"It helps disperse the blood and increases blood flow…You'll appreciate it tomorrow" Ronon said he felt for her as he pressed into a rather large bruise on her forearm he resisted the urge to trace the scars on her forearm as he continued to focus on the bruise.

"I'm not so sure about the appreciation part but I assume same time tomorrow for further torture?" Hannah asked she put her head on the table and moaned softly as he pressed into another welt.

"Yes" Ronon told her as he wore a small amused smile to Hannah.

"I will be there also to supervise hopefully we can minimise further injuries" Teyla said obviously the two needed supervision. Ronon shot her an annoyed look which meant he didn't like Teyla inviting herself to their sparring session.

"Hmm grea-ow oh damn that hurts. You are not going to go anywhere near my back" Hannah whined as Ronon pushed into another bruise with his fingers.

"Hannah O'Neill report to the Control room" came over the PA system. Hannah looked to Ronon and waited for him to release her arm as the message repeated again.

"Looks like the Ancestors are smiling on me" Hannah said as Ronon released her arm allowing her to pull on her jacket.

"Wait for me" Ronon told her.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Hannah is going back to Earth and I don't like repeating myself" General O'Neill said as he sat in one of the guest chairs opposite Sam's desk. Daniel sat in the other chair while Sam sat behind her desk. Sheppard stood by the closed door waiting for Hannah's arrival.

O'Neill and Daniel had arrived thirty minutes ago through the space bridge to Atlantis. He was on a tight schedule and really needed to be on his way back to Earth in the next four hours. So the sooner he left Atlantis with Hannah in tow the more time he would have to install her into the facility he had found.

Sam and Sheppard had greeted them at the Stargate and then they went to Sam's office and closed the door but not before Sam telling Chuck to have Hannah come to her office. They skipped pleasantries and went straight to business. Sam explained the situation of Hannah and her lack of memories what the doctors had told her just reiterating what she sent in the communiqué to the SGC. The meeting stalled after the recap of events with Colonel Sheppard arguing that Hannah should remain on Atlantis.

"Sir with all due respect, Lieutenant O'Neill has a right to make her own choice memory or no memory" Sheppard said in the calmest voice he could muster. He couldn't understand how Sam could just sit behind her desk and not say something. He was also feeling incredibly outnumbered since Daniel was sitting in the room agreeing with O'Neill Hannah should be taken back to Earth.

Daniel even volunteered his time to help Hannah recover her memories since she helped him. It was also a sore spot that Daniel knew what happened to Hannah and her last moments before she ascended. The Good Samaritan act was rubbing Sheppard the wrong way they talked as though Hannah was a lost puppy and they were her owners here to pick her up.

"Colonel Sheppard I know Hannah was under your chain of command-"

"Yes, she was my XO and I worked closely with her for over a year which as you know working in close quarters with someone you build a certain rapport"

"Yes I know" Daniel said but his tone was leery as if he was accusing that Sheppard and Hannah's rapport was something more than just friends.

"I highly doubt that-" Sheppard started only to be cut off by Sam.

"Sheppard" Sam said in a warning tone.

"She came back to the Pegasus Galaxy not Earth. I'd say that's a clear indication she wants to stay here and that she should" Sheppard said.

"It's not Atlantis's mission statement to look after someone in Hannah's condition nor do you have the facilities or personnel" O'Neill said.

"She still knows her weapons, she is capable of looking after herself in a fight and she can read Ancient. She is capable of contributing to the mission statement." Sheppard said not that he could entirely remember the mission statement besides making new friends and killing wraith. "And facilities aren't necessary as to personnel people will volunteer their downtime so you'll save money in the long term" Sheppard added.

"It's not that simple" Daniel said he spoke with a tone that translated to 'I've been there and done that'.

"I didn't say it was simple or going to be easy" Sheppard said he was about to continue when a knock sounded at the door catching everybody's attention.

Hannah and Ronon stood on the outside Sheppard smothered a smile at Ronon's injury obviously a result from his time with Hannah. Sheppard waved a hand over the door sensor and the glass door slid open.

Ronon stepped through first followed by Hannah who stopped at the doorway. O'Neill and Daniel stood up and turned to face Hannah.

"Hannah" Daniel said as he saw Hannah standing at the doorway to the office with Ronon to her right. Daniel couldn't believe his eyes she didn't look any different except for the longer hair that was in a messy plait that draped over her right shoulder down her chest. She was wearing the typical Atlantis uniform with a black tank top underneath. He expected her to have red placards like Sam but hers were black like Sheppard's.

He moved toward her but stopped at the look of shock mixed with fear flickered across her face. She looked away from him quickly and seemed to have some internal battle going on in her head after a moment her features schooled themselves into a calm façade even though her eyes and her breathing didn't match them.

"Hannah" Sam said with a smile "Come in" she added, Hannah gave a weak smile though her heart was beating a million miles per hour. He was standing there in flesh and bone the man from her nightmares. Same eyes, voice everything like he had stepped out of her nightmares for a break. The only thing that was different was his clothes and the glasses.

Hannah took slow deliberate breaths to calm herself trying to not betray all her emotions to those in the room as she apprehensively took a step into the office even though she wanted to stay at the doorway so she had an easy exit. She reminded herself it was just a nightmare it wasn't her memories. Sheppard would not intentionally put her in the same room with the man if he were truly bad or did the things he did in the nightmares.

But then Sheppard had admitted he didn't know everything about what happened to her. It made her doubt and that fed into her fear what if the man was here to take her away. She looked any and everywhere else in the room except for at him.

Hannah looked to the other man in the room he was dressed in green fatigues with salt and pepper hair he smiled at her fondly.

"This is General Jack O'Neill, your father and Dr Daniel Jackson he used to be your team mate and he's also a friend of yours" Sam said making the introductions. Hannah looked to Sheppard for confirmation. He nodded but he didn't seem to be happy about it.

"I assume you already know about my memory issues" Hannah said to them she looked back to the men in the room though she focussed on O'Neill than she did Daniel as she couldn't face Daniel not until she knew for certain what his character was.

"Don't worry I've de-ascended myself so I've been where you are. It will all come back to you. At least the memories you had before you ascended" Daniel said to her. He held out his hand to her and saw her flinch at the movement of his hand and decided to place his hand on his hip like it was his original move instead of wanting to shake her hand.

"Well that's good news since I would prefer to know the truth than what Demming keeps on telling me" Hannah said with a tight smile. Daniel noted how Hannah seemed to be incapable of looking at him and wondered why.

"Ah yes the fellow who could talk under wet cement" O'Neill said getting Hannah's attention and eye contact. Hannah looked as awkward as he felt in the moment did they handshake or did they hug? he hadn't missed how Hannah's reaction to meeting them. It wasn't the happy reunion he had been expecting but it could have been worse. He noted her reluctance to be near Daniel as she kept looking over her shoulder. He wondered if she was looking for an exit or to Ronon and Sheppard.

"No doubt" Hannah said before she gave a chuckle.

"Come 'ere" O'Neill said as he pulled her into a hug against his better judgement. They embraced for a moment before he grabbed her by the back of the neck with one hand and cupped her chin. "It's good to have you back kiddo" he told her.

"Ah good to be back" Hannah said awkwardly unsure of how to reply it earned her a chuckle before O'Neill let her go patting her on the back.

"Yep that's the O'Neill gene right there" O'Neill said proudly as Hannah moved back to the doorway she felt better than she had on entering but still couldn't shake the desperate urge to flee.

"What being uncomfortable and awkward in emotional situations?" Daniel asked in a joking manner it was taken with mixed reaction. O'Neill decided to ignore him by moving on.

"So I was saying to Sam and Sheppard that you are coming back to Earth with Daniel and me" O'Neill told her.

"Earth" Hannah said her stomach twisted in knots at the thought of leaving Atlantis so soon. She didn't want to leave and she also remembered Sheppard saying she did not want to go back there. She didn't doubt him if Daniel was from there. The man made her want to run she shivered as she remembered the nightmare from last night and how real it felt. Her mind started spinning a million possible scenarios and none of them ending well. Halling told her once that she should always believe what her instincts told her and right now they were screaming at her to run.

"Yeah it's where we are originally from. You being a part of the royal 'we'. So get packed we'll leave in a couple of hours" O'Neill said to her.

"I would prefer to stay on Atlantis." Hannah said stepping back from them towards the door she edged closer to Ronon as she remembered he had a gun that was easily accessible.

"I know you do but in this case you don't get a choice" O'Neill said.

"Why?" Hannah asked.

"Because Earth is where you belong and we already have everything set up for you. I got a nice place for you to live, close to the best medical facilities etc so you have the best chance for a full recovery. When you are better you can come back to Atlantis" O'Neill told her his tone was sincere that he believed in everything he said.

"I would still prefer to stay here" Hannah said.

"You can't" O'Neill told her.

"Yes she can" Sheppard said interrupting them.

"Sheppard" Sam cautioned

"Atlantis isn't set up for the kind of attention and needs you require" Daniel said diplomatically.

"The only needs I have are shelter, clothing, food and water and I spent over 13 days on New Athos and needed no special attention nor did I ask for any. Perhaps I should return there" Hannah said she wrung her hands as the discussion was slowing breaking down into an argument.

"You can't" O'Neill reiterated.

"Sheppard you said I could leave at anytime" Hannah said turning to Sheppard.

"I did, it was a stipulation in your agreement to return to Atlantis and give us a chance and yourself a chance" Sheppard said to her.

"Sheppard was not allowed to make such promises. I am your Father and next of kin which gives me the right to do what is best for you" O'Neill said to Hannah.

"Hannah you need help" Daniel said.

Hannah shook her head as she felt the divide in the room. Sheppard and Ronon and herself on one side, O'Neill and Daniel on the other with Sam in the middle undecided Hannah looked to the woman.

"You are the Leader here. Are you going to honour Sheppard's word to me or do you agree with them?" Hannah asked. Sheppard was right if this was just an example of how it was to be on Earth she wanted nothing to do with them. At least Sheppard had held to his word so far. Hannah calmly waited for Sam to answer but decided what her next move would be.

"It's not that simple…" Sam started

"That's what I thought" Hannah said cutting Sam off, she didn't need to hear the rest as she knew from Sam's expression that Sam would side with O'Neill and Daniel. Hannah pulled the gun from Ronon's holster before another word was uttered. Then turned on her feet and ran to the bridge between the office and the Control room and launched herself over the railing.

"Hannah!" Sam exclaimed the four in the room moved to the bridge themselves and watched as Hannah landed on the ground and rolled before standing up. The activity in the Gate room stopped and the occupants all stood looking in shock that she had just made such a jump and actually survived with no injuries.

"Hannah Stop!" Sheppard shouted as he watched Hannah raise Ronon's gun she fired off rapid shots in succession and stunned the guards that were on gate duty and Major Lorne's team before any of them had a chance to pull a wraith stunner. Hannah ran out of the gate room.

Sheppard turned and ran for the stairs and made it down to his fallen men, Ronon took off after Hannah. After a few seconds Ronon came back into the gate room.

"She jumped in a transporter before I could get her and she has Demming with her" Ronon said looking annoyed Sheppard wondered if it was jealousy that Hannah was with Demming or that she had stolen his gun and outrun him to the transporter.

* * *

><p>"Whoa, what's with the gun?" Demming exclaimed as he held his hands up in surrender. As Hannah had it aimed at his chest the doors of the transporter opened to their new location. Hannah had no idea where they were only that she had run straight into Demming who had just stepped out of the Transporter. She had pushed him in and pressed the map blindly.<p>

"You first" she said he looked at her confused before she gestured with the gun for him step out first and see if there was anyone in the surrounding areas. She couldn't hear any movement or noise but wasn't going to take a chance.

"Oh you want me to look around" he said pointing to the door as he lowered his hands. He made moves to look out the door slowly as he really didn't want to be stunned. Ronon had stunned him once with the gun and it had not been a pleasant experience.

"Yeah I'm not going to get my head blown off" Hannah said just as he stuck his head out. The comment made him whipped back against the wall and looked at her in disbelief. Hannah smiled "Kidding I can't hear anything but I have no idea where we are" she said as she still pointed the gun at him and took a quick look around the empty hallway. She stepped out of the transporter and stood in the hallway looking both directions.

"You're asking me? I didn't pick the location and what the hell is going on? And why do you have Ronon's gun pointed at me?" Demming asked as he followed suit at a slower rate he doubted Hannah would stun him but he figured being stuck with Hannah on the run far more exciting than whatever was on the cards now the whole base would be looking for her.

"I don't know" Hannah said lowering the weapon as she tried to think of what her next move was.

"So you stole Ronon's gun and decided to crash tackle me for kicks" He said looking around there were on a lower level of the city he could smell the dank sea salt and mould smell which meant it was in some part that had flood damage he assumed.

"No, not for kicks you were in the way I had to escape. Purely an accident" Hannah said

"My apologies I'll just go" Demming said jutting his thumb to the transporter. Hannah had her back turned to him, he watched Hannah waiting for a witty response but she seemed to be locked up in her own little world looking completely at a loss at what to do.

"Have you got a plan?" Demming asked. Hannah swung around to him.

"No, I didn't really think this out very well… they way they spoke was like I was going to be dragged back to Earth whether I wanted to go or not. Honestly when I saw that man I was not interested in leaving and the way he looked at me" she said.

"Who?" Demming asked.

"The guy with glasses who is supposed to be my friend, I think I remember him… it seems too real for it to be not true and if I am right he is no friend of mine" Hannah said she felt so confused and lost. She also felt the deep sense she had dug herself into a deep hole then actually escaping her problem.

"Hannah, take a deep breath" Demming said to her. He had stepped forward and grasped her by the upper arms to get her to calm down and focus on him. He took the deep breath with her.

"Ok now think about what you are trying to say. Put the words into sentences and then tell me what you are talking about because I'm not fluent in crazy talk" Demming said to her with a comforting smile.

"You'll think I'm crazy" She said in a low voice.

"Of course I will but that's half the fun" He said in a teasing tone. Hannah rolled her eyes at him suppressing the urge to punch him.

"When I first arrived on New Athos I had these visions in my sleep…" Hannah started.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile in the Control room,<p>

"I could recalibrate the sensors to pick up Hannah's life signs but it's going to take time" McKay told Sam, O'Neill, Sheppard and Daniel. Ronon had decided to join one of the search teams to go find Hannah.

"How long?" O'Neill asked.

"An hour at least especially since the sensors to pick up slight variations in her physiology to ours it's not an easy task" McKay said in an exhausted tone. He had been sleeping when they called him in so he wasn't completely awake or receptive to being woken up at 9 am since he hadn't gone to sleep until 3 that morning.

"Ok, I have them, two life signs in a unauthorised area West Pier sublevel 38" Chuck said as he typed on his computer and showing the results up on one of the main holographic screens. It was a map of Atlantis with all the life signs showing, he pointed to the two dots that were on the West Pier. Sheppard was about to radio the closest team which was 10 levels above to go to the destination when Daniel spoke.

"Not anymore" Daniel remarked as the dots disappeared.

"This is ridiculous. I thought she had memory loss where are they going?" O'Neill asked.

"Obviously Demming is telling her where to go or she has remembered something on her own. She has SERE training and Demming knows Atlantis like the back of his hand this is not going to be an easy task. Funny how efficient she is for someone who needs help" Sheppard said shooting a look at Daniel. He hadn't missed Hannah's obvious fear of the man. Not that he could understand anyone being scared of Daniel. Sheppard was also proud and happy Hannah had gotten away. It was not going to end well but it was good to see her self-preservation was still intact.

"Well we aren't getting anywhere here. Can we track the radio signal? I assume demming has a radio on him?" O'Neill asked.

"Yes" McKay said, he pushed Chuck out of the way and started using the laptop at a rapid speed.

* * *

><p>Demming stopped as he heard Sheppard's voice calling for him over the comm. He stopped Hannah and she looked at him curious as to why they had stopped. She couldn't believe that he had listened to her and actually believed her about her nightmares and her irrational fear that they might be genuine memories and how she didn't want to take a chance on going to Earth.<p>

Demming came up with a plan to help her hide from Atlantis security for a few hours so they could figure out a plan that would allow Hannah to stay on Atlantis. He of course said she really needed therapy as Daniel Jackson was about as mean as a fluffy rabbit but he didn't know Daniel Jackson very well so he could be wrong. So he agreed to help her. If Hannah wanted to stay on Atlantis then he would help her.

"What is it?" Hannah asked.

"Sheppard's calling" Demming said pointing to his ear piece.

"You should answer him" Hannah said even though she hoped he wouldn't so they could carry out their plan first.

"No. Let's get these sensors down first" Demming said they walked into one of two Auxiliary control rooms on Atlantis. It had several consoles and holographic screens for different sections of the city and control systems. The Beauty of Demming's plan was the other Auxiliary room had been damaged in the last encounter with the Replicators. The other bonus was thanks to the laptop interfaced with the consoles in the main control room it took time for the laptops to switch from one system to another. It gave Hannah and Demming easy access to hijack and take control of systems such as internal sensors, power distribution and environmental systems.

"Ok" Demming said he looked around the room and then moved to one of the consoles at the furthest corner. He tapped a few buttons on the consol and smiled as a tray of crystals slid out.

"Now all we have to –Whoa! Put the gun away" Demming told her as he had turned to explained to her what they would do and she already had Ronon's gun pointed at the tray ready to blast it to oblivion.

"What we need to take it out that's what you said" Hannah said.

"I said we take out the crystals on this tray and from those two other consoles and hide them not blast them into oblivion" Demming said as he pointed to the other consoles in the room. He shook his head at her "You and Ronon are like two sides of the same coin" he added.

"If we destroy it I'll get more time" Hannah said ignoring his last comment.

"Yeah not too sure whether we have spares lying around. Backup systems are nice to have, so for my sanity put the gun away and I promise if you are a good girl you can shoot something later" Demming told her in a mocking tone.

"Ok" Hannah said as she spun the gun in her hand like a cowboy before putting it away and moving to the tray to help Demming.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: I mention 'Psychosis cascade' in this chapter so I thought I'd just give a recap since it was a long time ago… Hannah was a clone who had the memory of four individuals in her mind but those memories were controlled by microchips so if she doesn't have those chips in her brain like she doesn't in this story.. There is concern she will lose control of her body and mind.. The memories resurface and sort into their own distinctive identities and in most case vie for dominance and destroy Hannah's identity… (not where I'm going with the story but I wanted you all savvy instead of reading and going what the?)**_

* * *

><p>Chapter 7<p>

"Demming come in, I know you have your radio and Hannah has you as a hostage. Let me talk to her" Sheppard said trying for the fourth time to get some line of communication. He was silently glad she wasn't answering. Though he was slightly concerned as to what she and Demming were doing considering Hannah had Ronon's gun.

O'Neill, Sam and Daniel looked at him waiting for something to happen. Sheppard lowered his head was about to try one more time when Hannah's voice filtered into the control room speakers.

"_Sheppard"_ Hannah said

"Hannah, are you ok? You took a quite a fall" Sheppard said McKay was quickly typing on the computer tracing the signal.

"_Yeah my right knee is a little sore but otherwise I'm still in one piece" _

"How's Demming?"

"_He's still in one piece" _She replied.

"Good to hear. Where are you?" Sheppard asked the lights in the control room flickered and the screen showing the life signs on Atlantis switched off.

"What happened?" Sam asked

"Internal sensors are down" Chuck said, McKay lifted his hands from the computer giving up entirely.

"Oh that is sneaky without the sensors I can't track her" McKay said, Sheppard smothered a smile.

"_I have no idea…you know memory loss and all. I was kind of hoping you could tell me"_ Hannah said.

"She has cheek" O'Neill commented in a low voice.

"I'd love to help you out but our sensors are down. You wouldn't know anything about that now would you?" Sheppard asked as he looked around the room at the scientists who were all trying to solve the issue, the lights started to flicker in the room. Sam was working with the others in the room while O'Neill looked mildly annoyed and Daniel at a loss of what to do.

"_Atlantis is having an off day?"_ Hannah offered.

"Systems are going down over the city. She must be in the auxiliary control room" Sam said she stood up and radioed the teams and ordered them to proceed to the locations she named hoping one of the teams might be close by to catch her.

"How did she get control?" O'Neill asked.

"The interface has a lag between the console and laptop she has hijacked the systems" Sam said.

"I told you if we had updated our operating systems this wouldn't have happened" McKay said looking smug at the most inappropriate time. Sheppard stifled his own smug smile that Hannah even with Demming's help were managing quite well.

"Hannah, what are you doing?" Sheppard asked as he turned his back to O'Neill and the others.

"_Buying time"_ Hannah replied and then all they heard was static as Hannah's radio stopped transmitting.

* * *

><p>Hannah tossed the ear piece to Demming before she tied the jacket she had been wearing into a makeshift package as it was laden with crystals from internal sensors and a few from the environmental system and a couple of power crystals.<p>

So not only could they not track her, they would also have a mess of systems malfunctioning like the control room being a balmy 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius) and some of the personnel quarters dipping into the low 40 degrees Fahrenheit (around 4 degrees Celsius). Then there was the flickering power in random locations nothing essential was tampered with. But it would keep everyone busy for a long while. She stepped out of the room and closed the door before turning to Demming.

"Ok so the plan is?" Demming asked as he removed the grating off a ventilation shaft from the wall in the hallway.

"I climb through the ventilation system…" She listed off the directions Demming had showed her on one of the screens in the room of where she had to go "Then I dump the crystals and then I move onto my final destination… do I have to repeat those directions or do you trust me?" Hannah asked.

"I trust you but do you trust me?" he asked.

"I will if this works out" Hannah told him.

"Ok, I'm ready" he told her he screwed his face up.

"For what?" Hannah asked confused.

"You have to hit me, not too hard but hard enough it looks convincing" he said unscrewing his face to explain himself before he tensed up again preparing himself.

"I forget why do I have to hit you?" Hannah asked.

"So they believe I'm not on your side" He told her.

"Oh ok" Hannah replied and before he had a chance to prepare himself she gripped Ronon's gun by the Barrel and smashed Demming in the side of the face with the butt of the gun.

Demming staggered and groaned in pain. "Damn you could have warned me or not hit me so hard. I think you broke my face. Take a look" he said as he recovered slightly. He pulled his hand away from his face and winced.

"You told me to hit you how prepared do you have to be?" Hannah asked him incredulously.

"Oh yeah, tell me is it bad?" He asked as the side of face was starting to swell around his eye socket. She touched it gently and he hissed in pain.

"Ah I'm no doctor but it looks painful. Sorry" Hannah said wincing in sympathy for him as Demming slid to the floor.

"Worth it just to here you say sorry. Now go and don't forget the door." Demming said as he pointed to the panel. Hannah got to her feet and fired a blast into the control panel for the door destroying the panel to access the room.

"Ok, Thank you for everything" Hannah said as she picked up her parcel of crystals and shoved them into the ventilation shaft.

"Don't thank me yet." Demming told her with a smile and a wince. Hannah smiled and then pulled herself into the shaft disappearing into the veins of the city.

* * *

><p>An hour later,<p>

"Okay, Internal sensors are still down and I'm still locked out the Environmental system but we have managed to fix the power fluctuation issues by switching to the Backup Naquadah Generators but we need to get into the room Hannah and Demming were to assess the damage and repair it" McKay said to Sam, Sheppard, Ronon, O'Neill and Daniel out on the balcony off from the Control room as it was currently a sauna. They had tried to hail Hannah over the Atlantis PA but she was smart enough not to answer and thus she was still hiding somewhere in Atlantis.

"Major Lorne is down there with a group of Engineers and blow torches apparently the doors are pretty thick it's going to take some time." Sheppard said folding his arms.

"How are the search teams progressing?" O'Neill asked.

"I told them to stand down for the time being" Sam said O'Neill raised an eyebrow at her.

"You think that's wise, Hannah has crippled your command post Colonel are you sure you don't want to capture her to stop further damage?" O'Neill asked.

"The Cloak is still functional along with communications system, the external long range sensors, Stargate and Shield. We are hardly in a crippled position. I have guards stationed at the Naquadah generators and the power room. It's been an hour and she hasn't made any other move or damager except alluding capture. Something our military taught her to do. There is no point in wasting energy and time in pursuing her when we don't know where she might be heading" Sam snapped at him. She didn't appreciate his tone as though she didn't know what she was doing.

"What about Demming does he have any idea where Hannah might be heading?" O'Neill asked he looked down at his watch noting the time yet again he did not sign on for this mess.

"I have no clue"

The group turned to Demming who joined them on the balcony, his left cheek and eye looked swollen and angry.

"Demming shouldn't you be in the infirmary?" Sheppard asked wincing.

"Nah Keller wouldn't give me any drugs or tender care. What's going on out here? And why is it hot enough in the gate room to do Bikram yoga?" Demming asked.

"You should know you were with Hannah when she decided to play with Atlantis's systems" McKay said to him.

"She pistol whipped me with Ronon's gun after we reached the auxiliary control room. I was not in a state to remember what she did and before all I really remember was that one she crash tackled me and it hurt a lot and two she was holding a really big gun to my face. She was quite polite and I told her what she wanted to know" Demming said to McKay.

"Why didn't she stun you?" Daniel asked.

"Because it's not every day you get to pistol whip a guy in the face? I don't know" Demming offered with an amused smile that Sheppard and Ronon shared.

"Knowing you Demming as I do you probably deserved it" Sheppard offered.

"Well yeah maybe I did" Demming said with a sheepish grin.

"Can we get back to the issue? I have to be back on Earth in less than three hours. I for one want this settled" O'Neill said.

"The Daedalus is arriving in under an hour we can use their sensors to find her" Demming said they all looked to him in surprise. "What?" He asked.

"Will that work?" Daniel asked.

"Uh yeah they just have recalibrate their sensors to pick up the only life sign on the base that doesn't have a subcutaneous tracker and beam it up to their brig. Since Hannah is the only person on base without it…" Demming drawled.

"Works for me" O'Neill said.

"Well that solves that problem. Is there anything else?" Sheppard asked he hoped he would be excused along with Demming and Ronon so he could search for Hannah. He had a feeling Demming knew something but didn't want to share in front of O'Neill and Daniel or with Sam as she seemed to be showing herself as a stickler for following the rules.

"No, there's nothing more we can do" Sam said.

"You mean besides fix the mess Hannah has made with Atlantis's systems" McKay said in his usually huffy tone.

"Yes McKay and Sheppard I want to start a new search for Hannah make it room to room. Dismissed" Sam said in an exhausted tone.

"Yes Ma'am" Sheppard said he looked to Ronon and both left the group and walked back into the stifling heat of the gate room. He felt sorry as the personnel in the room who were sweating through the heat even though a part of him wanted to laugh at Hannah's ingenuity in creating distractions.

They reached the bottom of the stairs to head towards the transporter when Demming caught up to them.

"Hey Sheppard wait up!" he said as he met up with them at the bottom of the stairs.

"Demming you got something you want to share?" Sheppard asked.

"Yeah I do but not here" Demming said his eyes kept looking up the stairs in the direction they had come.

* * *

><p>"This is not good" Daniel said after Demming and McKay left the balcony. It was just the three of them now.<p>

"Looks like Hannah has quite a following here" O'Neill said folding his arms across his chest.

"I know which makes this harder. They are going to help her hide and we are the enemy" Sam said.

"I think we should tell them the truth about Hannah. If they know what is going to happen then they will be more inclined to help us" Daniel said.

"Daniel, they don't trust us and what was with Hannah not looking you in the eye?" O'Neill asked Daniel looked out to the view of the city.

"I don't know" he half lied. He assumed if Heightmeyer's prediction was that Hannah's memories would resurface she could have remembered her time in Ori captivity. He did not want to tell O'Neill and Sam what he had done to her. He wasn't ready to have that discussion yet until he spoke with Hannah first.

"Either way our appearance has triggered something in her and if her memories are starting to resurface then it won't be long until she has a meltdown like she did when the organic implants failed" O'Neill said.

"Worst case scenario we do have a stasis chamber here" Sam said.

"If we can find her before her body cooks itself" O'Neill said wincing at the thought. It was the whole reason they wanted her back on Earth. He already had the Antarctica stasis chamber ready along with a team of scientists on standby to monitor Hannah while she was in Stasis and another team to search the Asgard database on the Odyssey to find out how to replicate the needed microchips and how to insert them into Hannah's brain safely.

They had Hermiod looking into a solution but he was not the friendliest of Asgard nor was he enthusiastic to help Hannah. Even though he had agreed to serve with them on the Daedalus he had his opinion that Hannah should have been terminated when the experiment had failed which made O'Neill wary of using any knowledge the Asgard had to offer without checking it thoroughly first.

"She has been with the Athosians for nearly two weeks and she hasn't displayed any unusual symptoms" Sam said.

"Yes but she wasn't surrounded by any triggers on New Athos as she is here on Atlantis. The more time she spends here the more likely she'll regain her memories just as I did when I returned to the SGC" Daniel said.

"Great" O'Neill said dryly.

* * *

><p>Hannah gripped the grate that covered the air vent and pushed it out of the wall careful not to drop it. She repositioned the grate in her hands and tried to gently lower it to the floor. Sadly her grip slipped and the grate dropped to the floor with a loud bang. Hannah winced at the loud noise and stuck her head out to check out the quarters.<p>

Luckily the room was empty. Hannah dragged herself out of the vent and groaned in pain as she fell to floor in a not so graceful landing. She was exhausted and covered in grime and sweat from her travels through the air vents.

She looked over her person checking for any injuries from her travels through the air vents. Hannah made a disgusted face at all the filth caked on her skin but thanked her lucky stars that she didn't have any open wounds only aches and the bruises from her sparring session with Ronon.

She looked around the quarters they were larger than the room she had been sleeping in but it had the same furniture, single bed with a desk and chair etc. with one exception once corner of the room was dedicated mini gym.

One of the many photos around the room caught her eye. It sat on the bedside table, Hannah walked over and picked it up. It was of herself and another woman who had long red hair. Demming told her about Lieutenant Laura Cadman and their friendship and now she had proof of it. They were hugging one another and smiling brightly, Hannah looked at herself in the photo. Her hair was much shorter and when Hannah looked closer she noted she didn't have the scar on her jaw or the ones on her forearm. She must have received the scars after the picture had been taken.

She smiled as she noted how happy she looked in the photo and it was the first image she had seen of herself besides her reflection in the mirror. She placed the framed photo back to its original location before she turned around the door opened.

Hannah swung around and stopped when she saw the redheaded woman from the photo standing at the doorway looking completely stunned.

"Holy Crap I thought Demming was pulling my leg" Lieutenant Cadman said blinking as if she didn't believe what she was seeing. She stepped through the door and dropped her duffel bag on the floor before she waved a hand over the door sensor. The doors closed it behind her, her eyes never leaving Hannah.

Hannah was about to say something when the woman smiled and ran at Hannah nearly crash tackling her to the floor in a hug.

"But you really did it! You're back!" She exclaimed excitedly as she released Hannah and looked her over. "Look at you! Your hair is long and you're filthy! what have you been doing?" she asked the smile not leaving her face.

"Crawling through the air vents. They aren't as clean as one would expect" Hannah said feeling a sense of strong familiarity and kinship with the woman. The redhead's smile widened as she chuckled.

"Well you definitely need a shower and don't worry Demming told me your situation and how you needed to lie low and the lack of memory" Cadman commented moving to her closet she pulled out a fresh uniform and black tank top and tossed them on the bed.

"I appreciate any help you can give me"

"Pfft you're my best friend and my sister in arms I'd do anything for you. Now shower so I can play with your hair. Demming and I agree you need a new look" Laura said she pulled out fresh towels and tossed them to Hannah.

After a quick shower, Hannah changed into the fresh uniform sans the jacket. Laura sat on the vanity telling Hannah about their friendship. How they met and bonded in basic to their training in recon and what not before she pulled a switchblade knife from boot and hopped down to stand next to Hannah.

"So I'm thinking we cut about 8 inches off so it's just below your shoulder blades put in some layers to lighten the load and a side swept fringe. Then we'll make you a brunette so you won't be recognised straight away… I mean you'll turn heads but it will take a second look to know it's you" Laura mused.

"How are you so prepared?" Hannah asked.

"Heightmeyer asked for the hair dye she'll just have to stay a red head for longer" Laura said as she brushed a hand through Hannah's long hair and releasing the blade of the knife.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Hannah asked Laura.

"Yeah, I watched a video on youtube a while back where this guy cut hair with a switchblade. I have been dying to try it out on someone" Laura said with a smile.

"I'm your first?" Hannah questioned she felt worried about how this adventure was going to turn out but then she would be glad to lose a few inches as she was tired of waiting for it dry and the knots among other reasons.

"Yeah and I'm leaving all virgin and popping cherry jokes alone. Trust me, I would never intentionally make you ugly what kind of friend would I be?" Laura asked, Hannah narrowed her eyes at Laura for a moment it wasn't exactly the answer Hannah was looking for. But Laura seemed confident and Hannah knew worst case scenario she'd have to grow her hair out.

"Right" Hannah said to her.

"Just trust me when I'm finished it will look great. Now try to stand still so I don't accidently stab you or worse." Laura said with a mischievous smile she dragged the knife through Hannah's hair cutting away at the length.

TBC- Happy Xmas! And hope everyone has a Happy New Year!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry about the long wait! You know how Xmas holidays, uni assignments and life can get in the way! Thank you for the reviews and story alerts and the favourite story hits! It's nice to be appreciated :-) Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 8<p>

"You have got to be kidding me!" McKay groaned as he opened several crystal draws in the Auxiliary control room.

"How bad McKay?" Sheppard asked, McKay stopped and turned to glare at Sheppard.

"Oh I don't know. You tell me what's wrong with this picture?" McKay asked him sarcastically as he gestured to the empty tray.

"The Crystals are gone" Sheppard said as he stepped aside so Colonel Carter could join them in the room.

"Gold star for you" McKay replied.

"This is bad" Sam commented at the empty trays, no crystals meant they would be completely locked out until the crystals were recovered or McKay and herself could figure out a way of regaining control of the systems. Either way it was going to a pain in the ass.

"No this is fantastic! Of course it's bad" McKay said sarcastically.

"I'm missing something here. Can't we flip the reset button?" Sheppard asked.

"No, because if I'm right" McKay said looking at his tablet computer " and I am Hannah managed to redirect the system controls to this station and lock the systems to this room before removing the crystals which means no internal sensors until we get the crystals back if she hasn't destroyed much for not remembering anything" McKay said before he sighed in frustration.

"The Daedalus said it'll take about 30 minutes to recalibrate their sensors" Demming said to Sam. The Daedalus had arrived in orbit over 45 minutes ago. It started offloading supplies and personnel upon arrival as it was standard procedure. Sam had spoken to Caldwell and he said he'd organise for the Daedalus to make the necessary adjustments but it was going to take time.

"Well she did a number on this joint. I'd say seeing Dr Jackson and General must have shaken a few apples loose from the tree. If you know what I mean" Demming added with a wink at Sam who looked less than impressed by the statement.

It seemed luck was Hannah's side, thanks to an unfortunate coffee spill in core room. Sam would have thought it suspicious as it was too coincidental but there were no out of the ordinary communication between the Daedalus and Atlantis or any evidence of foul play.

"So why is it going to take the Deadalus 30mins to recalibrate their sensors?" Sheppard asked out of curiosity.

"Well there was a coffee spill and things needed replacing and the sensors have to be recalibrated to pick up something more particular than just life signs. Blah blah woof woof" Demming said with a shrug as he looked over the room at the empty trays.

"Did you help Hannah do this?" Sam asked.

"Nope she did it on her own I really shouldn't have taught her ancient" Demming said with a shrug.

"No? You think?" McKay snapped as he shot Demming a dark look.

"Ok, I'm going to rejoin the search of the city. Maybe we'll stumble over Hannah or the crystals" Sheppard said.

"Oh yes because Hannah would just leave the crystals lying around for us to find. Hey if you run into her be sure to ask her where she hid them and if she could be a doll and help clean up the mess she made" McKay said his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"McKay are you getting anywhere?" Sam asked knowing he had barely started.

"I only just started" McKay answered.

"Then how about you get back to work instead of complaining" Sam snapped McKay opened his mouth to reply but stopped as Sam shot him a dark look. She turned to Sheppard "I'll be in the control room with General O'Neill and Dr Jackson. Sheppard keep me posted" Sam said.

"I can't believe I nearly let you dye my hair" Hannah said as she and Laura walked down an empty hallway in Atlantis.

"Hey I can't believe you let me cut your hair with a switchblade" Laura said with a teasing smile. "Relax we have passed 6 people you use to know and none them stopped to point and gasp. Except that Airman but he stared at your ass more than your face." Laura said with a chuckle as Hannah looked embarrassed she was definitely not getting used to people staring at her no matter what the reason was.

"True, where are we going?" Hannah asked trying to not touch her now shaggy blonde locks. Laura had curled her hair into loose waves which took a lot of convincing since Hannah's hair wanted to stay completely straight. At least she had lost a huge portion of her hair to the floor it felt lighter and had more shape than before and her side swept fringe gave her something to hide behind.

Hannah felt disorientated as all the hallways looked the same how one even navigated around the city was beyond her as she followed Laura.

"We are heading to Zelenka's lab he has a computer hooked up to the city's mainframe. Demming said you left the essential systems untouched for most part"

"Uh yeah" Hannah said not really sure where Laura was going with the train of thought.

"All you have to do is program the communications array to emit a jamming frequency so the Daedalus can't beam you up. Thus the only way you can be taken off Atlantis is by force" Laura said with a smile.

"I don't think I can do that" Hannah said.

"Yeah you'll find you can do just about anything" Laura told her

"Except what I want" Hannah mumbled.

"Oh so many things I could say right now!" Laura said with an evil smile.

"Like what?"

"In time. I don't need you getting distracted" Laura told her.

"Daedalus say they have found one life sign on Atlantis Ma'am" Chuck said looking to Sam who was standing to the side of the control room talking to O'Neill and Daniel in hushed tones.

"Thank you Chuck, tell them to proceed" Sam said to him Chuck nodded as he tapped his ear piece to talk to the communications officer on the Daedalus. Demming was seated beside Chuck reclining like a man who had all the time in the world.

McKay and Demming had managed to regain control of the environmental system but the other systems were all locked to the crystals so until they found Hannah the systems would stay hijacked. McKay was still working hard to try and get internal sensors up among other systems but Demming had given up.

Sam had a feeling the man knew more about what was going on than he was letting on. She just couldn't call him on it because of her precarious situation. She needed to be able to maintain order and have some respect after Hannah returned to Earth.

"Demming shouldn't you be helping McKay?" Sam asked as she waited for the Daedalus to report back.

"Nah he kicked my kaboo-" before Demming could finish his sentence he was transported out of the control room.

"You have got to be kidding me" O'Neill said not impressed he looked to Sam and then Chuck who was trying to suppress a smile as he reported Demming had been transported into the Daedalus's brig.

* * *

><p>"Can't you type faster?" Laura asked Hannah.<p>

"No"

"We are running out of time" Laura said in a sing song voice as she kept a lookout for search teams and anyone who would ask too many questions.

"Really I thought we had all the time in the world" Hannah said sarcastically as she continued to type at a rapid pace into Zelenka's computer. When they came into the lab they had found it empty, Hannah reluctantly handed Ronon's gun to Laura and got to work at the computer. She had actually spent a good 20 minutes looking at the damn thing trying to think of how to use it let alone what to do after that. When she became frustrated she used a breathing technique Halling had taught her to focus her mind and calm herself.

It seemed to do the trick as her brain figured out exactly what she needed to do to get started. She wondered why they couldn't just have a switch on the wall with a label 'Press here' to make Hannah's life a little easier.

"I'm almost-" Hannah's words were cut off when she was temporarily blinded by a white light surrounding her. She blinked as the room darkened and looked around to find herself standing in what looked to be a cell. "Done" Hannah muttered as she looked at Demming who was leaning against the wall of the cell. Outside the cell stood two guards with weapons watching them closely it unnerved her something it about it made her stomach turn.

"Sadly they beat us to the punch. Nice hair" Demming commented, it was lost on Hannah whose eyes glazed over as she looked preoccupied with her own thoughts. He pushed off the wall and moved toward her cautiously. "Hannah?" he said looking at her, he waved a hand in front of her face to get her attention. He even snapped his fingers but it drew no reaction.

"Hannah" he said as he poked her, it seemed to jolt her out of her daze. She looked disorientated as tears fell down her face. She quickly wiped them away.

"What?" She asked.

"What happened a moment ago?" Demming asked back.

"What do you mean?" Hannah asked.

"You're remembering something. Why else would you make that flake expression" Demming said, Hannah shook her head but he knew she was remembering things or having flashbacks as to what she was remembering he wanted to know.

"Flake expression?" Hannah asked him.

"What do you remember?" Demming asked. She shook her head adamantly she was not going to tell him.

"I'm not sure it's confusing. How do we get out of here?" Hannah asked as she moved around the small cell looking for some kind of exit.

"I don't know I can't find one" Demming said as he watched Hannah become tense and panic as she paced the cell. On any other day Demming would have found Hannah having a meltdown amusing as the Hannah he knew would have never let her guard down like this. She would have little miss perfect soldier.

But not now, watching her pace and become panicked was hard to see. He wanted to pull her into a hug and tell her it was going to be ok even though he knew it wasn't.

"I need to get out!" Hannah exclaimed she slammed her hands on the bars. It made one of the guards standing outside of the cell flinch. Hannah started to pace the cell and pulled off her jacket and tossed it to the floor. She touched her décolletage trying to calm herself as hot tears burned her eyes wanted to be shed. Hannah refused to let them fall it was bad enough she was falling to pieces in a small cell with a witness.

"Ok, you need to stop and relax because wearing a hole in the floor by pacing is not going to help" Demming told Hannah.

"You're right. Stop. Focus. Prioritise" Hannah said more to herself than Demming. She was remembering things that disturbed her, images of cells different to the one in her nightmares. Confusing images of being chained, dark rooms, pain, and blood and faces she didn't recognise. None of it making any sense to her but the pain of it all felt raw inside her along with the panic and fear of everything was going to repeat again. The feeling of being suffocated and trapped pressed in on her chest making it hard to pull some semblance of calm. Every time she looked at the bars the images flashed overlapping one another confusing her between reality and her memories.

She repeated the words, 'Stop. Focus. Prioritise' over and over it calmed her to a point she closed her eyes taking a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again she turned and looked to the surrounding bulkheads. She saw what she was looking for. A part of the wall that had a panel that was raised from the wall meaning there was circuitry she could fiddle with.

"What are you doing?" Demming asked in a low voice.

"I don't know exactly" Hannah said as she moved toward it, she grazed her fingers around the edges seeing if she could pry it off with her hands.

"Well could you be a little less conspicuous about it. We do have an audience" Demming murmured nodding his head to the guards outside the room watching them.

"What are they going to do? Shoot me?" Hannah asked him as she undid her belt.

"You never know" Demming said with an amused smile.

"Yeah well if they were going to they would've by now" Hannah told him.

* * *

><p>"No offence Dr Jackson, but the 'Good' Lieutenant O'Neill broke Sergeant Phelp's arm and electrocuted Lieutenant Hunter with live wires before three men and a wraith stunner finally subdued her." Caldwell said in a condescending tone as he stood in Sam's office with Colonel Sheppard, Daniel Jackson and General O'Neill.<p>

"How are the repairs on Daedalus going?" Sam asked, changing the topic as Hannah was fast becoming a pain in the ass. They still hadn't found the crystals so they were locked out systems and she had managed to damage the Daedalus before they beamed her directly into Atlantis's holding cell. They had upgraded the accommodation with a chair and metal restraints like they had used to hold Daniel in his 'Prior' state. It didn't hold Daniel well but it would do the job in keeping Hannah in one place. Even if she managed to get out the chair she still had to get out of the cell and deal with six guards in the room.

They had all given a collective sigh as there was no way she would be getting out there and thus she wouldn't be able to reap more damage.

"Progressing, the crew should be finished within the hour though I think the brigs will need to be redesigned though" Caldwell said.

"Yes, who knew it had such a design flaw" O'Neill said looking at Sam who had been one of the many designers of the ship.

"Someone should go down there and talk to Lt O'Neill" Sheppard said.

"You aren't going near her" O'Neill said pointing at Sheppard.

"Sir?"

"You have a soft spot for my daughter and frankly I'm not so stupid that I didn't notice you were enjoying yourself the whole time she was running around the city breaking things" O'Neill said, he was quietly amused himself but considering his position he couldn't openly be impressed of Hannah's ingenuity in wanting to escape capture or the mess she had made.

"I could try talking to her" Daniel said volunteering himself.

"You know there was a reason why she took a header over the balcony. Right?" Demming said with a smile the occupants in the room looked to him.

"And you know what it is?" Daniel asked.

"Well she did tell me" Demming said to Daniel as he joined the group "Got the power distribution problem solved, it's now back up and running smoothly Colonel Carter but internal sensors still down" Demming said.

"Thank you" Sam said.

"What did she tell you Demming?" O'Neill asked his curiosity piqued.

"She doesn't want to leave Atlantis to return to Earth with two strange men she doesn't know. Can't blame her on that regard, my nanny always told me never to go anywhere with strangers" Demming said rocking on his feet looking pointedly at Daniel. "Anyway can I see Hannah?" he asked in a cheery tone.

"One would think you have Stockholm Syndrome" Caldwell said looking at Demming.

"With a captor as beautiful as Hannah can you blame me?" Demming asked his smile grew wider as he could just feel the vibration of energy in the room of the people wanting to smack him upside the head for his comment.

"No one is going to talk to her. Get Keller to sedate Hannah so we can get her back to Earth" O'Neill told Sam.

"What's the rush? Is this the whole no implants in the head thing?" Demming asked Sheppard. All eyes were on Demming yet again in shock as to how he would know classified information.

"I didn't tell him anything" Sheppard said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"What do they call it? Psychosis cascade cause she was cooked up in a test tube right?" Demming asked. Sam, Daniel and General O'Neill all exchanged looks.

"Where did you learn that?" O'Neill asked Demming in a calm voice even though he was at the end of his patience.

"Well let's not get all caught up in the small details like how I know things and get down the fact that I don't think she's going to meltdown and loco" Demming said.

"Oh and what makes you an expert?" O'Neill asked sarcastically.

"Umm let's see since her return to Atlantis her memories have been triggered. Hell what do you expect we are all triggers to her at the moment" Demming said thoughtfully, O'Neill made a rolling gestured with his hand to say 'hurry up and get to the point'.

"Also there is the fact she doesn't know slash remember Goa'uld, Ancient or Asgard to save her own lovely ass" Demming said.

"She hijacked Atlantis's systems you have to be fluent in Ancient to do that" Daniel argued.

"She learned Ancient quickly… considering she understands Latin so it didn't take long. She gets lost in the city she doesn't know how to fix Ancient technology which says to me that those were Janus's memories. If she had them she would innately know where to go without a map and hijack systems etc. like with her training as a Marine. But she didn't she used me. Remember hostage" Demming said in a smart arse tone as he pointed to himself.

"She could dismantle a P90 without looking at it and she is obviously still able to perform martial arts she learned before becoming a marine" Sheppard offered.

"Exactly because the memories are strictly what Hannah learnt herself. Not what was already there to begin with" Demming said.

"Conjecture. Explain why she ran off" O'Neill said folding his arms.

"I thought we established this early? It's because she doesn't want to leave Atlantis and go anywhere with you two… well actually she doesn't want to go with him" Demming said pointing at Daniel.

"Me?" Daniel said pointing to himself.

"No the guy standing behind you" Demming said dryly.

"Daniel?" O'Neill questioned.

"Maybe I triggered a memory that wasn't exactly good but I can't think what kind of memory that would be" Daniel said lying his arse off.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Ronon stood back in the shadows out of sight looking at Hannah as she was slumped over in a metal chair her wrists and legs restrained in metal cuffs.

He rested a hand on the butt of his holstered gun. Lt Cadman had reluctantly returned his gun to him. Sheppard had asked him to keep an eye on Hannah since he had to remain on duty supervising search teams to find the lost crystals. Rumours were spreading through Atlantis like wild fire as to what Hannah would do next and why she was acting the way she was.

Hannah groaned and lifted her head banging it against the head of the chair. She winced in pain from hitting her head. Ronon would have laughed if he hadn't noticed the large bruise that had formed under her left cheek with a small gash which was tapped with stitches. No wonder she was in pain it looked like she had met the butt end of a P90. Anger stirred in him as to why someone would use such brute force, he tried not to care but he was finding the more he was in her presence the more he became attached to her. Seeing her looking around now in absolute fear and panic twisting and pulling on her restraints not getting any closer to escaping it made him want break her out of the chair and the cell.

He knew why she was panicking, she was remembering things and they frightened her. It only started when she laid eyes on Dr Jackson and General O'Neill. He could see it in her eyes when they were fighting she remembered him even if it was a vague feeling or perhaps a memory. He stepped out of the shadows and closer to the bars that stood between them.

Hannah was too busy trying to pull her hands out of the restraints but the only results she was getting were welts and blood from the friction.

"Hannah" Ronon said in a low voice. Hannah snapped her head up and looked at him. He could see the relief wash through her for a moment before she returned to trying to pull her hand out of the metal cuff.

"Hannah stop you're only hurt yourself" he told her in a low voice. She heard him and stopped her efforts and looked back up at him.

"I don't care as long as I get out" She told him.

Ronon opened his mouth to say something but stopped as he heard General O'Neill's voice faintly from the hallway.

"Don't show them fear" He told her in a hushed tone before he stepped back into the shadows just before General O'Neill, Sam and Daniel Jackson walked in.

"You look thirsty. Can I interest you in some water?" O'Neill asked holding up a bottle of water.

Hannah remained silent looking to where Ronon was standing in the shadows. Even though Ronon had told her to stop her unconscious mind was working on its own schedule. He saw her slowly twisting her hands again trying to get free.

"You been running around the city, missed lunch and dinner. All that running around had to work up a thirst and an appetite" O'Neill said he stepped forward and Sam pressed the key pad entering the code to open the door.

Hannah looked to O'Neill, her expression a calm façade as she sat up straighter in her seat. She took Ronon's words to heart in not showing her fear. Daniel stayed on the outside of the cell watching. Sam stood to the side of the cell out of the way.

"Hannah, this isn't an interrogation" Sam said.

"She's right. We just want to have a conversation." O'Neill said he shifted himself so he could get Hannah to look at him.

"If it was a conversation I wouldn't be restrained to a chair and you wouldn't have brought him" Hannah said nodding to Daniel. O'Neill and Sam shot Daniel a 'questioning' look which Daniel gave the tiniest shrug of 'I don't know'. It made Hannah snort in an unladylike fashion.

"I remember how this dance goes. I get strapped to the chair you ask me a bunch of questions and I say 'I don't know' multiple times with a few 'I'll never tell you anything' and then you leave while he…" Hannah tilted her head to Daniel again. "puts me through hell and gets nothing out of me or I beg for death which is the same result right?" She asked Daniel directly. She didn't know where her confidence and sarcasm had come from but Daniel paled at her unveiled accusation.

"Let's get something clear. There will be no torturing and Daniel would never do such a thing. I have no idea who put those misconce-" O'Neill started.

"They aren't misconceptions. I remember. It was one of the first things I remembered when I returned." Hannah said darkly cutting O'Neill off. She took a deep breath and looked away trying to calm herself as she didn't want to cry in front of them.

"Or perhaps what you remember is out of context or it was a bad dream" Daniel stated, Hannah snapped her head back to look at him, fury burned inside her at him for trying to belittle her.

"So you're claiming that I dreamt you standing over me standing next to a brunette woman in a dungeon cell telling her how once my soul was cleansed of the evil then I could truly heal in the love and glory of the Ori. Whoever they are. That I also had wild dreams about the agony and pain you rendered on my person sounds like something I made up?" Hannah asked she pulled on the metal cuffs in a futile effort feeling the metal dig into her skin slicing into the already opened wounds on her arms.

"What does it matter none of you believe me anyway" She huffed as she sat back dejected as she felt like no matter what she told them they wouldn't believe her anyway. Her life was out of her control.

"Daniel?" O'Neill queried Hannah had made a serious allegation. Daniel looked to O'Neill and then Sam who also wanted to hear his answer he was in a bind. If he lied and said it was a lie then Hannah would be pegged as being delusional. But he would also be off the hook for what he had done. Daniel wasn't that man, he had to tell to tell the truth and accept the consequences that were sorely overdue.

"It was during my time with Adria. Merlin and I agreed to help Adria. It was for the greater good. Not what happened with Hannah but finishing the weapon that brought down the Ori" Daniel explained in a low voice, he watched as Sam looked away disappointment in her expression. O'Neill looked livid he took a step toward Daniel. Daniel stayed where he was accepting he might lose his friends for this and deserving of whatever O'Neill was going to do.

O'Neill pointed at him, his hand shaking as he tried to find the words "You…" he started his mouth opened as he couldn't form what he wanted to say he then pursed his lips pausing to think for a moment. "Go to Sam's office. We are going to have a talk about this but not here" O'Neill told him in a low voice.

Daniel didn't argue he walked out of the cell room. Hannah was slumped in the chair looking off into space as O'Neill turned back to her.

"Hannah" O'Neill said getting her attention he repeated her name a couple of times before he got her attention. He noticed for the first time how fatigued she looked. Dark circles under her eyes, her pallor was almost grey and she was sweating more than she should in the room as it was not hot. He made a note to get the Doctor down to check on her and bandage her arms she had managed to shred with the cuffs. _Also a meal couldn't hurt_… O'Neill thought to himself.

"We need those crystals back" He said wincing at how insensitive sounded.

"I can't tell you" She said exhaustion tainting her tone.

"You mean you won't" O'Neill said.

"I mean I can physically show you by back tracking my steps. But I doubt you'll allow me to. I can't show you on a map or tell you because I don't know how to" Hannah said honestly as she wiped her forehead on her shoulder. He believed her as she had no reason to lie at this point.

"Ok, think on it. If you can think of any information that can help us relocate them it would help you a lot" O'Neill said.

"Whatever, you're just going to exchange this cell for another on Earth. Frankly I'd rather you just kill me because I'm tired of being a kept prisoner." Hannah said despondently.

"You're not a prisoner"

"Says the Keeper of keys" Hannah told him.

"Ok, tell me what will make you help us and yourself?" O'Neill asked her.

"I want to stay on Atlantis" Hannah answered.

* * *

><p>"Daniel, you wrote a lengthy report detailing your Ori experience and I read every 120 pages of details and I don't remember what Hannah just said" O'Neill said darkly.<p>

"I omitted a few details" Daniel said.

"Really?" O'Neill said sarcastically.

"Jack, I feel bad enough as it is please don't make this harder than it has to be" Daniel said.

"Oh I'm sorry. I had no idea the guilt must have eaten you up about holding such information to yourself. If I had known what my mind is racing to not want to believe and I'm hoping you don't confirm what I'm thinking to be true. Because if it is true then I would have made you stay on Earth. Now how about you tell us what really happened" O'Neill said he folded his arms across his chest and waited for Daniel to answer.

* * *

><p>Hannah took slow steady breaths as she looked at Ronon who was still leaning against the wall hidden in the shadows. Nausea rolled over her as slumped in the chair. Her body was aching from sitting in the chair for what seemed like hours even though in reality it was probably only two hours if that.<p>

"Would it be too much to get some water?" Hannah asked when she didn't get a reply she sighed. "Seriously if I was going to escape I would have by now. If I don't get some water I can guarantee that I'm going to vomit and it won't be pretty. Worst of all one of you guys will have to clean it up" she told them.

Apparently this got the reaction she wanted as Ronon stepped out of the shadows he handed his gun to one of the guards taking a bottle of water he was offered. The guards made a formation with guns raised and ready it was a joke to watch. The cell door opened and Ronon strolled in and watched the door close behind him.

He opened the bottle of water taking a sip himself before helping her drink some. After couple of sips he paused to let her swallow.

"Thank you" She said in a low voice to him.

"More?" He asked, she nodded and he proceeded to help her drink from the bottle. He watched her carefully and after the second pause to let her swallow.

"I'm not going vomit on you" she reassured him with a weak smile, her body gave a sickening shiver. She closed her eyes and tried to not think about vomiting wondering how she could be equal parts hot and cold at the same time.

She felt a warm hand on her forehead she leaned her head back and looked at Ronon as he then placed the back of his hand under her chin.

"How long have you felt ill?" He asked concern laced his tone while his expression was impassive.

"Since I woke up in this chair" Hannah answered as she relished the warmth and feel of his hand that was back on her forehead. She wished she could lie down now that he mentioned it.

"You have a fever" He commented.

* * *

><p>"That's everything?" O'Neill asked Daniel.<p>

"Yes" Daniel said, he had told them every last detail of his encounters with Hannah when she was in Ori Captivity. Sharing his body with Merlin's conscious about how their mission statement was to finish the weapon. Daniel explained how Merlin convinced him saving Hannah was a secondary objectives and it couldn't be done if their plan was to work. They had a role to play and this was a numbers game. Saving Hannah would have lost them the chance to save billions of lives.

Sam and O'Neill had listened to him not offering opinions or saying a single word. It was unnerving as O'Neill was not a man to kept his opinions to himself.

Nevertheless Daniel could see all the emotions in play on their faces and their body language spoke volumes especially since Sam could not bear to look at him. O'Neill's lips were pressed into a firm thin line and Daniel could see the anger seething but also understanding.

"We all do things we aren't proud of. We have to make hard choices" O'Neill started "I get that. I get your reasoning but not your actions" O'Neill said he threw his hands up and shook his head. Daniel opened his mouth to speak but closed it as Sam spoke up.

"I felt sorry" Sam said shaking her head she stood up and moved to the big glass wall of her office and looked down at the activity in the gate room. "I felt sorry for you and your guilt of leaving Hannah behind. That Hannah's change of allegiances was long term brainwashing from the priors and Adria. You didn't help her at all, you-" Sam stopped and turned to Daniel her expression wrought with anger. "You used her. Granted we can all say that in the long run we saved the galaxy from the Ori so we can accept your actions because we are all safe now. But you could have saved her. For months, you had to have had many opportunities where you could have given her some kind of chance to escape. But you didn't you used her as a commodity to gain Adria's favour." Sam said shaking her head.

"I did" Daniel admitted freely.

"No wonder she took a leap over the railing. I would have done the same thing" Sam said scathingly.

"Sam-" Daniel started.

"No, right now I can't even begin to describe how disappointed and angry I am. I need time and as I'm the leader of this base I'm going to kindly ask you to leave Dr Jackson" Sam said in her official tone.

"Colonel Carter" O'Neill said in a warning tone.

"General O'Neill, this is my command post and as such I have the discretion to decide whom I have on the base. I also have to do what is in the best interest of those under my command and the civilian population. There are many people in this city who adore Hannah I among them. When and I say 'when' because nothing is a secret on this base. When they find out about how Daniel tortured Hannah which led to her nearly breaking her neck to get away today they will want blood. I don't need nor want the trouble" Sam said folding her arms.

"You want to keep Hannah here" O'Neill said he could understand her reasoning even if it was biased.

"Yes, think about it. If Daniel triggers such negative memories to resurface imagine what hell she would go through being on Earth. She would remember how Bauer treated her, Coburn and his death, the Tok'ra and her dealings with Ba'al. Do I need to go on?" Sam asked.

"And what about the impending psychosis?" O'Neill asked.

"I'll assign Demming as her escort, I know he comes off like a slacker but he's switched on. He already knows what signs to look for and he doesn't believe it will happen and to be honest I believe him" Sam said.

Daniel made a face at Demming's name coming up. When had the young man become an expert on everything and more trusted in anything related to Hannah. He wanted to speak up but remained silent knowing his opinion made no difference and currently wasn't wanted.

"I'd prefer her on Earth" O'Neill stated.

"I know but Hannah was here for less than a day before you came and she didn't disrupt the efficacy of the base nor did she go rogue. Allow me to keep her here for two months we can give her stability and everything she needs. You can check up on her yourself and I'll send weekly updates. She wants to stay here and trusts Sheppard more than us at the moment if we take that away we only confirm her belief that we are her enemy" Sam said.

"If she goes off the reservation it'll be on you" O'Neill told her.

"I can accept responsibility for her. Does this mean you're going to let her stay?" Sam asked.

"Only when she can produce the crystals" O'Neill said.

"We have to let her out of the cell room" Sam told him.

"Or you could get Demming your 'Wonder Boy' to talk to her. I have a feeling he already knows where the crystals are. Considering he's been sitting pretty all afternoon" O'Neill said.

"I'll have him and Sheppard meet us in the cell room. Hannah needs medical attention they can take her" Sam said, O'Neill gave a nod of agreement and Sam turned away and pressed her ear piece making the call.

O'Neill walked to Daniel who hadn't moved or said anything. "Daniel, I may outrank Sam but I agree we should leave in the morning on the scheduled dial out. I also think you shouldn't search out Hannah either" O'Neill said giving Daniel an awkward pat on the shoulder.

"I need to make her understand I am not the monster she remembers and ask forgiveness" Daniel said he couldn't have her continue in her belief that he was that man he and Merlin pretended to be.

"She's not going to listen to anything you say. Promise me you won't try and see her. She needs to recover all of her memories and then she'll understand right now she is terrified and isolated. You won't be helping her" O'Neill told him.

* * *

><p>Sheppard and Demming entered the cell room as per Sam's instructions waiting for her to arrive with General O'Neill so they could release Hannah considering the General had the key to the chair. It seemed too easy but the boys weren't going to complain.<p>

"O'Neill? Ronon?" Sheppard said as he opened the door to the cell. Ronon was leaning over Hannah saying something to her in a low voice while he held a bottle of water in one and the other hand on the side of the chair. Ronon looked up at Sheppard first.

"I think she's sick. We should get Doctor Keller" he said. Hannah scrunched her face at Ronon wanting her to see Doctor Keller or be anywhere near the infirmary.

"I just need to eat and lie down" Hannah retorted.

"You'll get to do both when Colonel Carter and General O'Neill come down. They are releasing you into my custody" Demming said he leaned on the doorway to the cell. He wore an amused expression.

"What?" Hannah asked, Demming moved from the doorway to Hannah's side. He moved his hand to feel her forehead when she backed away.

"I'm feeling for your temp. don't bite me" Demming told her in a teasing tone.

"I wouldn't bite you if you asked me to" Hannah said allowing him to feel her forehead. Sheppard chuckled at them and at Ronon who was looking at Demming like he was ready kill the man for touching Hannah's forehead.

"Looks like she recovered her witty personality with the bump to the head" Demming assessed as he then felt under Hannah's chin. "Yup, definitely a temperature but not worthy of the Doc's attention yet I'm sure we can keep an eye on it when we bunk tonight"

"I'm not bunking with you" Hannah said as Demming stepped back from her allowing Ronon his territory back.

"I'll take the top bunk and we can braid your hair and talk about boys. Then have pillow fights and talk all night about sexual fantasies and urges" Demming said in an excited tone.

"Please tell me he's not serious" Hannah said to Sheppard worried she would have to bunk with Demming.

"No he's not serious and you're safe from Demming tonight" Sheppard said before laughing as Hannah looked quietly relieved and Demming pretending to be heartbroken.

"Well, talk about a party" O'Neill quipped as he and Sam walked into the Cell to find the men standing around Hannah.

"Yeah it was short notice so we didn't have time to make any moonshine and decorate the place" Demming said thoughtfully.

"Yes, maybe next time" O'Neill deadpanned.

"Hannah, we talked it over… Colonel Carter and I have come to the decision to release you on a few proviso's" O'Neill said.

"Which are?" Sheppard asked.

"You will be escorted by two guards 24/7 over the next few weeks, see how you go. If you don't jump off high balconies or try to take over Atlantis's Systems or personnel again. It will reflect well on you. You will also be assigned to assist Demming in his duties around Atlantis. Whatever they may be" O'Neill said he mumbled the last part which made Sam shoot him a look.

"Either way you get to stay but you first task is telling or showing Demming where you hid the crystals so we can restore the systems you hijacked" Sam said Demming and Hannah exchanged looks at this point but their expressions remained surprisingly unreadable. Before Hannah nodded.

"Then after a few weeks and no issues we'll talk about losing the escorts and go from there" O'Neill said continuing from where Sam left off.

"I understand" Hannah said she flinched when Demming clapped his hands together and rubbed them.

"Awesome! can we unshackle the girl and get dinner because I'm starved" Demming said with a grin. O'Neill raised an eyebrow at Sam who just shrugged they seemed to be having their own telepathic conversation for a moment before O'Neill tossed Demming the key to unlock the restraints.

Hannah gave a sigh of relief when the restraints popped open. She lifted her arms grimacing at the angry red friction cuts and welts where she tried to pull out of the restraints.

Ronon held out his hand to help her up from the chair. She grasped the hand and grimaced again at how weak her grip was. She had exhausted herself completely it seemed, he held her hand firmly with one hand careful to not touch her wrist or forearm he grasped her elbow and pulled her to her feet.

She swayed in his grip as she felt off balanced, her vision blurred and she heard a ringing noise in her ears. Ronon held her up as she recovered.

"You ok?" Sheppard asked Hannah blinked a couple of times before her vision cleared up. She turned to her left and found Sheppard there holding her arm looking just as concerned as the others in the room.

"Yeah just a little woozy. I'll walk it off" Hannah said.

"You can walk it off to the Infirmary" O'Neill told her. Hannah wasn't going to argue with that her arms needed to be cleaned and wrapped up. She took a tentative step only to find her legs felt like Jelly.

"Maybe you should carry her" Sheppard said to Ronon. Hannah had opened her mouth to argue but was cut off by Ronon picking her up bridal style in his arms. A blush tinged her cheeks at being held by Ronon.

"Hey get Doc to check her temperature while you're there. Hannah's looking a little flushed" Demming pointed innocently. Hannah wished she could smack Demming for pointing out her blush. She now understood why she was known for being violent as she felt the urge to smack Demming up the side of the head.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah I know the chair having a key to unlock it and only one person with it. Not such a great idea please let it slide it won't be seen again! and I also couldn't remember how that chair worked anyways :-)**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Ok, you seem to have a minor concussion and I'd say the starts of a cold. It has been going around but if your symptoms do get worse come back immediately. So for right now I prescribe a hearty meal, plenty of fluids and solid 10 hours of sleep. I won't make you stay here as Sheppard said you'd prolly do a runner so I want to see you in the morning" Dr Keller said as she turned off her pen light and putting it back in her white lab coat pocket.

Keller had allowed Hannah to take a quick shower and a pair of fresh scrubs and a light blue terry towel robe that was two sizes too big to wear before going about her job. After the shower, Dr Keller gave Hannah a long winded speech about not overexerting herself and eating properly etc. Keller seemed to be unaware of the day's events so Hannah remained silent and let the woman do her job as she cleaned the wounds and stitch a few of the deeper wounds before bandaging them and moving onto her headache and exhaustion and fever as Ronon ratted her out to the Doctor. She made a note to herself when her and Ronon's roles were reversed she rat him out. It was only fair but then she appreciated him sticking around with her in the infirmary while Doctor Keller did her work.

_He has to have better things to that sit around with me_... Hannah thought as she slid off the bed.

"Thank you, Doctor Keller" Hannah said.

"My pleasure" Keller said she picked up a chart and walked away leaving Hannah and Ronon alone.

"Food?" Hannah asked Ronon.

"Sure" He said he made moves to pick her up again when she moved away.

"I can walk. I got legs" Hannah told him, as much as she wanted him to carry her she'd prefer it to be to bed than to the mess hall with everyone staring at them. She was going to be stared at just for her wardrobe and events of today she didn't need to make it worse. She smiled and shook her head at the thought of him carrying her to bed. _Mere fantasy girl... _she chided herself.

"Take my arm at least" He said offering it to her. She accepted and leaned heavily on him as they walked slowly to the nearest transporter. She appreciated that he didn't mention her obvious weakness or pick her up out of frustration and carry her …yet.

They remained silent the whole way to the mess. It was a companionable silence where they didn't feel the need to fill the void. That and Hannah was too exhausted to ask any questions she really wanted to skip eating and fluids and go straight to bed but she knew if she did that she would probably wake up feeling worse than before if she didn't cave to her baser needs.

Ronon deposited her at the table already occupied by Laura, Teyla and Sheppard before he and Sheppard decided to grab some food and bring it back.

"So how was purgatory?" Laura asked as she sipped her tea. She smiled over her cup at Hannah who sat opposite her.

"The cell?" Hannah asked confused.

"No the infirmary. You hate that place with a vengeance though if Ronon was there I can see how you would find it slightly more bearable than usual" Laura said innocently teasing Hannah.

Hannah was about to retort when Teyla cut in first. "How are you feeling?" Teyla asked in her soothing tone.

"Splitting headache, exhausted and sore but it's to be expected" Hannah replied with a rueful smile and a shrug.

"Yep SERE Atlantis style" Laura said nodding.

"SERE?" Teyla asked, she had heard the acronym used in general conversation many times but kept forgetting what it pertained to.

"Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape though they totally cheated beaming your ass up into the Deadalus" Laura said shaking her head disapprovingly.

"How else were they going to get her?" Sheppard as he and Ronon sat down at the table. Sheppard deposited a tray of food in front of Hannah which was piled high with enough food for three people and a bottle of water and one of orange juice. "Eat up soldier" he ordered her with an amused smile at her expression as she looked halfway between being sick and starved.

"I don't think I can't eat all of this" Hannah commented.

"Just eat what you can" Ronon told her.

"Exactly you're a growing girl and you need all the nutrients and vitamins you can get" Sheppard added pushing the tray closer to her. Hannah looked to Ronon who was already digging into his own tray of food which piled with just as much food as Hannah's.

"Right" Hannah said as she pulled her knife and fork apart and slowly started eating the steak and mash potatoes with gravy. She felt all them watching her as she ate. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing, Demming found the crystals by the way and is currently getting everything back into working order" Sheppard told her. Hannah swallowed a bite of her food. He seemed to know everything that was going on. Demming must have told Sheppard his plan and she just went along with it.

"That's good" She said.

"Yeah, I also got you and Cadman shared quarters"

"Sir?" Laura asked.

"Don't worry it's a two bedroom apartment with a shared bathroom and common area with a huge balcony. Ocean views and very swish you'll like it" Sheppard said it sounded more of an order than a statement. "I figure it would be good for O'Neill to have a friend close by and you two did live together" Sheppard added, he also had spoken to Sam about it while Hannah had been in the infirmary. He commented they could save on having to write up a new guard schedule for Hannah if they just had himself, Demming, Ronon, Laura or any number of capable personnel around to keep an eye on her without Hannah feeling like she was being babysat.

"It's true, you haven't moved my stuff yet have you?" Laura asked.

"No, wouldn't dream of it Lieutenant" Sheppard said sitting back his chair folding his arms.

"We'll do that in the next few days." Laura said to Hannah. Hannah just nodded as she continued to eat.

* * *

><p>"Sam, I hope you know what you're doing" O'Neill said as the two stood on the balcony just off the control room. He looked up at the night sky at the bright moons visibly shining down on them.<p>

"I don't but I the more I think about it the more I think she should stay here" Sam said she was leaning against the railing looking into the brightly lit up gate room through the window watching the night shift go about their duties.

"Why?"

"Daniel came back to Earth the second time he de-ascended. The first time he was de-ascended a planet in our own galaxy. Some part of him wanted to be in the Milky Way Galaxy and help us in our mission. Hannah returned to the Pegasus Galaxy."

"You think she has some unfulfilled mission?"

"No, well I actually I don't know but my gut says she came back because she wanted to be here Jack" Sam said.

"Well, I guess it's ok here" O'Neill said reluctantly. "But there's no beer, Starbucks coffee or good fishing"

"Actually-" Sam started to rebut his statements.

"Let me just pretend it's not so freakin' perfect cause I know there's some weird looking tuna things floating out there dying to be snagged on a line. It's not the point" O'Neill said cutting her off, Sam smiled and stifled a laugh.

"You're right, it's really horrible here and as soon as Hannah realises this she'll be begging to go home" Sam said in a mockingly serious tone.

"Exactly!" O'Neill said triumphantly.

"What about Daniel?" Sam asked.

"What about him?"

"Jack" Sam said looking at him to be serious. O'Neill exhaled slowly and threw up his hands.

"I don't know. There is no point in punishing him he'd done enough of that by himself. Yes what he did was wrong but he did them for what he believed was the right reasons at the time." O'Neill said he gripped the railing and leaned forward.

"I'm still angry he should have told us" Sam said.

"I agree it would have made a big difference in the decision process at the time." O'Neill admitted.

* * *

><p>Hannah managed to eat only half way through the food in front of her and drink the bottle of orange juice before she started to have difficulties keeping her eyes open. With her stomach full, her body was telling her to go to sleep. The group had continued holding a conversation mainly about Atlantis and how long the Daedalus was in orbit, the new recruits and what not. The familiarity of the conversation and the low lighting of the mess hall lulled her to sleep as she closed her eyes.<p>

Laura nudged Teyla and pointed to Hannah who had been sleeping for the past 10 minutes while they were all talking.

"Sleeping beauty" she said with a smile.

"We should call it a night it is rather late" Teyla commented.

"Yeah I agree" Sheppard said as he stretched his arms above his head, he looked to Hannah who was sitting upright perfectly still with her head bowed slightly and her eyes closed. He didn't know how she managed to sleep so perfectly and was rather jealous as he would have probably face planted into the tray of food if their positions were reversed.

"Who's going to help me carry her to our new place?" Laura asked she looked to Sheppard and Ronon waiting for a volunteer. "It would also be good to know where said place is as well" she added.

"North Pier…" Sheppard rattled off the location for Laura who nodded. "We'll go and I'm sure Ronon won't mind carrying Hannah one last time" he said tongue in cheek.

Ronon scowled at them as he knew they were having fun at his expense. He remained silent as he knew he was being baited into their teasing he was not going to add fuel to the fire. Teyla helped clear the table of their leftovers while Ronon picked Hannah up into his arms. She didn't wake up which didn't surprise him. She just snuggled her head closer to his chest and breathed deeply in her sleep and made a small sighing noise before relaxing into his arms.

She was much lighter than he remembered even when she completely lax in his arms as she was now. He couldn't help but catalogue the changes in her and compare them to the memory of her. He began to wonder as he followed Sheppard and Laura how much of the woman he knew would return.

He had decided when he watched her in the cell earlier that he would let whatever happen between them progress naturally and see where they ended. If they ended up being something more than friends then he would let it happen but if they just stayed as friends then so be it. He wasn't going to fight it but he also wasn't going to pursue or push a certain course of action aggressively either.

But looking down at her in his arms, how peaceful she looked made him want to take her back to his quarters and watch her sleep for an hour or two before pulling her close and holding until the morning. He had other ideas of what he'd like to do but considering her delicate state he knew they would have to wait until she had more stamina.

"Is that a smirk?" Laura asked breaking Ronon's reverie. Laura and Sheppard had stopped at large double doors. Sheppard nodded as he too was looking at Ronon as thoughtfully as Laura was.

"I believe you are correct"

"Sir, I wonder what he could be thinking to cause such a smirk" Laura said to Sheppard.

"Knowing him. It probably involves…" Sheppard drawled Ronon dropped his smirk "Bantos sticks and kicking our asses now" Sheppard finished.

"Don't give him ideas Colonel. I remember the last love tap he gave me when I sparred with him" Laura said wincing at the memory.

"Yes, well Lt Cadman would you do the honors?" Sheppard said gesturing to the door. Laura waved a hand over the sensor and the double doors opened. It revealed a large common area with one door to the right and two the left. the fair wall which had the balcony was made entirely of glass giving the occupant an unobstructed view of the city. There was also a small Bar area to the right of the room, the common area had three arm chairs and a long lounge that could fit three people lying down on them.

"Damn Colonel! You've been holding out" Laura said as she walked around the quarters she looked into the bedrooms then the bathroom giving commentary and whistling approvingly. "Double beds, separate commodes… one large ass bathroom with shower and bath. Hell we even have an Atlantean fridge!" Laura exclaimed as she had drifted to the bar area.

"Told you that you'd like it" Sheppard said looking smug.

"Like it? I want to spend the rest of my life here" Laura said as she disappeared behind the bar for a second. She then reappeared with a dusty looking bottle and unscrewed the lid. She sniffed it and scrunched her nose before turning it upside down nothing came out. "Apparently booze doesn't last over 10, 0000 years" Laura commented as she placed the bottle on bar bench.

"Shame" Sheppard agreed.

"Which room should I put Hannah in?" Ronon asked.

"Put her in the one with the big bay window. She likes waking to the natural light" Laura said as pointed to the bedroom which had been to their right upon entering. Ronon nodded and moved into the room. It was about the same size as his quarters but she had a bigger window than he did and bed.

He laid her gently on the bed and pulled back the top sheet and blankets before picking Hannah up again and repositioned her pulling the blankets over tucking her in. He gently brushed the hair that had fallen over her face as she moved around getting herself comfortable.

Smiling to himself as she frowned in her sleep and murmured something unintelligible and whimpering at the lack of his body heat. He had the urge to kiss the frown away but resisted as he felt Laura and Sheppard's eyes watching him. He instead felt Hannah's forehead and under her chin checking her temperature before turning to his unwanted audience.

"She still have a fever" he said as he joined Laura and Sheppard at the door.

"I'll keep an eye on her" Laura reassured him. "Unless you want to stay" she said.

"I'm sure she will be fine in your care" Ronon said.

"Ok, well gentlemen I will walk you both to the door and bid you goodnight" Laura said.

* * *

><p>After Laura kicked Sheppard and Ronon out, she crept quietly into Hannah's room and checked to make sure Hannah wasn't burning up too badly. If she was running a bad fever Keller wouldn't have let Hannah out of the Infirmary. Once she confirmed it was just a slight temperature she gleefully headed to the large bathroom and turned on the tap for the bath. She left the doors open in case Hannah called for her. But otherwise it had been over six weeks since she had had a bath or a shower that lasted more than two minutes. She was going to enjoy this new living arrangement and its perks.<p>

It only took 20 minutes to fill the tub up Laura quickly stripped off her clothing and sank blissfully into the hot water.

"Oh yeah this is heaven" she murmured as she was completely immersed in water to her chin. The only way the bath could be improved were some bath salts, a few candles, a glass of wine and some soothing Café Del Mar music playing in the background. Another time she thought as she closed her eyes and sighed enjoying the hot water soothing her sore muscles and relaxing her.

Laura must have dozed off at some point while relaxing as she woke in upstart at Hannah's voice drifting through the room. She listened from the bath the water was barely lukewarm she would have to get out that and she was pruney. Laura wondered if she should wake Hannah but none of it sounded distressing most of it were mumbles and odd noises. It made Laura raised an eyebrow questioning if Hannah was having a sex dream. She pulled herself out of the tub and dried off and pulled her pants back on. Still keeping an ear out to Hannah's night rambling she was halfway through pulling her t-shirt on when a blood curdling scream sliced through. Laura yanked the shirt down and ran to Hannah's room.

She froze at the door and saw Hannah writhe on the bed in agony, tears running down her face, whimpering and then the screaming started again. It chilled Laura to the bones but it also snapped her into action. She moved to Hannah's side and shook her friend trying to wake her.

"Hannah wake up!" Laura said she hated seeing her friend in such pain. After a few good shakes Hannah seemed to wake up with a gasp making Laura jump in surprise. "Damn! it's ok it was just a nightmare" Laura said to Hannah who had turned on her side, Laura rubbed Hannah's back not entirely sure what to do as she checked to see if Hannah was awake to find her still asleep.

"You're kidding me" Laura said shaking her head giving a nervous laugh as she realised Hannah had been asleep the whole time. Her brain started spinning as to why no one had warned her. Laura checked Hannah's temperature and cursed as her temperature had risen. Hannah was shivering in her sleep and still mumbling incoherently but Laura knew whatever was happening in her dreams they were not happy dreams. She also knew someone had a lot of explaining to do in the morning.

She doubled the blanket on Hannah's bed and went to her own room collecting her own blanket and wrapping it around Hannah to keep her warm. After a several minutes passed, the shivering subsided and Hannah stopped mumbling falling back into what appeared to be a peaceful slumber. Laura gave a sigh of relief before she laid herself down on the empty side of Hannah's bed closing her eyes to take a power nap before checking on Hannah again.

**TBC**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Let me die" Hannah whimpered in her sleep, Laura brushed the hair out Hannah's sweat covered face. Laura was crouched in front of Hannah who was lying on her side in bed.

"Shhh its ok" Laura said in a soothing tone as she ran her hand down the side of Hannah's face comforting gesture while her other hand held one of Hannah's hands the dangled over the edge. It was 4 am and not the first time Laura was comforting her friend at least after the sixth time of waking from her light slumber Laura knew how to quickly calm Hannah before she started screaming.

It didn't stop the pain Laura felt at seeing her friend in so much pain while asleep, but the girl wouldn't wake due her exhaustion and the high fever she was running. Laura continued her gestures of soothing comfort while repeating the same lines over and over.

"It's ok, nothing can hurt you" Laura told her. Hannah's breathing slowed as she seemed to calm down. The pain was written on her face slowly washed away. "That's right you're safe" Laura told Hannah.

She had thought about calling Keller but decided against it as she knew that it would be put on the record and Laura knew better than anyone else Hannah didn't like to appear weak and she also disliked being prodded by doctors. She also didn't need to help General O'Neill and Daniel in their argument that Hannah should be on Earth.

Everyone had nightmares, night terrors were marginally worse and in this case heart wrenching for Laura. It didn't mean Hannah needed a padded room and psychologists. She needed her friends and comfort to know she was safe.

Hannah's breathing slowed into a relaxed state once again, Laura allowed herself to exhale before she climbed back on to the bed lying beside Hannah. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to once again fall into a light sleep ready for the next time Hannah stirred.

* * *

><p>Unknown Location on Earth,<p>

A group of four people gathered in an abandoned warehouse. All looked wary of their location and the others they were in company with as they stood around a table.

"Why have you broken protocol?" The woman asked, she appeared annoyed she folded her arms staring down the young man who had broken protocol.

"Because I've come into some highly valuable and time sensitive information" the young man said as he placed a holographic projector device on the table. He pressed a button activating the holographic projection. A screen appeared hovering about the device.

"What could be possibly valuable and time sensitive about a dead soldier?" a man in his late 40's with greying hair asked.

"She is Alive" the young man told them.

"We broke protocol for this? I am already under suspicion and you have me risk my cover for some administration mistake?" The last of the four to speak was a portly man wearing an expensive suit.

"Yes, please enlighten us why we should be impressed at her ability to survive" The woman said dryly.

"Her name is Hannah O'Neill, she may look like your average honey in marine greens" the young man said using his earth vernacular "She is a clone made by the Asgard. Some mistake in the process of her being created ended with her having the genetic memories of the Goa'uld, Ancient, Colonel Samantha Carter and General O'Neill. Not to mention the information she accrued from the Asgard." The young man explained.

"You're saying she is like a Harcesis?" The woman asked.

"Yes, from the files I have copied she ascended several months ago and only 48hrs descended back to our plane" the young man said.

"Her memories would be erased by the ancients" the portly man said.

"Perhaps not, Dr Daniel Jackson had only his memories of time when he was ascended erased. Eventually his memories and knowledge returned. I believe her knowledge would be buried much like Dr Jackson's. If we can remove that knowledge before she recovers her memories…" The young man drawled.

"The wealth of knowledge would give us the advantage we need to finally get a proper foothold in this galaxy" The man in his late 40's said.

"Where are they keeping her?"

"General O'Neill and Dr Jackson have gone to Atlantis to retrieve her. They had set up a room for her at a medical facility but they were overdue in their return. I think they might be rethinking this course of action" The young man said.

"Perhaps we should activate our sleeper agent in Atlantis?" The portly man suggested looking at the woman.

"Yes" the woman agreed she looked to the man in his late 40's "You will make an appearance on Atlantis to drop off the appropriate equipment the designated drop zone in 48hrs" The woman instructed. The man nodded before she looked at the young man.

"Good work, I will let our leader know of your good work. Now we will rendezvous at a later date yet to be confirmed. Until then keep your heads down comrades" The woman turned off the device on the table and picked it up. She placed it in her pocket and walked away from the room smiling to herself.

* * *

><p>Hannah woke up when an arm smacked her in the face hitting her bruised cheek. She groaned in pain and pushed the arm off her face. She opened her eyes and looked around the room disorientated as she didn't recognize where she was.<p>

She would have panicked except that Laura was sleeping beside her snoring lightly. Obviously this had to be the new apartment Sheppard spoke of last night. Hannah picked up Laura's wrist and looked at the time on the watch, it read 6 am.

"What's the time?" Laura mumbled still half asleep.

"6am" Hannah said in a scratchy voice, she rubbed her throat and grimaced as it was feeling raw.

"Mmm too early" Laura grumbled.

"I was thinking get an early start on the day, see Dr Keller, have breakfast and then go and get our stuff and move in properly" Hannah said, Laura sat up and rubbed her face and nodded.

"How are you feeling?" Laura asked her.

"Bit of a sore throat, slightly congested. I think I have a cold" Hannah said.

"You sound it" Laura said looking amused.

"What? It's not funny I can't breathe through my nose!" Hannah said picking up a pillow and smacking Laura who was laughing at her.

"It's just that you have never caught a cold or the flu in all our years of friendship. It's kind of nice to know you aren't entirely superhuman" Laura said as she grabbed the pillow from Hannah. Laura jumped off the bed and proceeded to stretch and yawn.

"Well then that makes it so much better." Hannah placed her head in her hands and groaned.

"Hey are you ok? I mean besides the cold" Laura said she sat down next to Hannah and gave her a look of concern.

"I said something in my sleep didn't I?" Hannah asked looking down at her hands not wanting to see her fears being confirmed. If she had spoken she had screamed and probably kept Laura up all night thanks to her conscious mind not being able to cope.

"Yeah and you also were having some nightmares. Do you want to talk about it?" Laura asked. Hannah shook her head she hadn't been able to tell anyone in great detail what her nightmares were about. She tried with Halling once but it had been difficult and didn't end well.

"I'm sorry" Hannah said looking up tears brimming in her eyes. Laura rubbed Hannah's arm in a comforting gesture.

"You got nothing to apologise for. Now why don't I take you to the Infirmary get some drugs into you and then the mess for some food so you can feel better. Sound good?" Laura asked smiling at Hannah.

"Yeah that sounds great" Hannah said rubbing her eyes to wipe the tears away.

* * *

><p>A couple of hours later, Hannah and Laura sat in the mess hall eating breakfast with Teyla and Demming. Hannah and Laura had gone to the infirmary and had Hannah checked over by the doctor on duty before leaving with cold medicine as strict orders to rest and drink plenty of fluids. They then proceeded to Laura's quarters where Hannah had another shower and washed her hair, she used Laura's hair dryer to dry her hair before getting changed into a spare urban camo Marine BDU uniform of Laura's.<p>

They packed up Laura's belongs before leaving for breakfast. Laura thought it would be best if they ate some food before making the trek and they needed to get Hannah some boots.

They hadn't found any boots Hannah's size in their search before giving up for breakfast so she was currently sitting barefoot at the table. They were soon joined by Demming and Teyla who made comments about the two women's apparent lack of sleep.

"Drink more orange juice" Laura told Hannah, who had pushed her half eaten tray of food away from her and placed her head on the table.

"Later" Hannah groaned in a stuffy congested voice.

"No, now trust me it has vitamin C which you need" Laura said she pulled the straw off the juice box and set it all up for Hannah when she was ready to drink.

"You look like you could use some rest there Red" Demming commented to Laura, Hannah looked up at Laura seeing the dark circles under friend's eyes. It made her feel horrible for not noticing and then guilty as it was her fault. Laura gave a nonchalant shrug at the comment.

"Yeah I had the weirdest dream that I was paintballing only my team mates were the Muppets and the opposition was the cast of Sesame Street" Laura said. Hannah took a long sip of her juice box for Laura and then put her head down to rest.

"Who won?" Demming asked.

"My team like you have to ask. Though I feel kind of wrong for shooting Elmo in the head" Laura said looking rueful after a moment she dismissed the regret and shrugged her shoulders again before continuing to eat her meal.

"You need therapy" Demming told Laura, he looked at Hannah who was seated beside him. She still had her head in arms on the table. "Hey diseased person, you want some waffle?" he asked, Laura kicked him under the table.

"She is not diseased, it's a cold give her break" Laura chastised him.

"Give her a break? I haven't been to bed yet since I have to fix up the control systems. Hannah you want to know the best way to get rid of a cold?" Demming asked Hannah.

Hannah lifted her head and looked at him, she had taken cold tablets the doctor gave her but they had sort of helped the runny nose and lowered the fever but it hadn't helped her congestion or sore throat. She was also sporting a grey pallor with puffy eyes and looking fairly miserable as her deathly glow made her bruised face look more gruesome.

"How?" She asked as she sniffed.

"You pass it on to someone else" Demming said with a smile. Hannah looked at him thoughtfully and then without warning grabbed his head and proceeded to lick the side of his face from jaw to temple. Teyla's eyes went wide as did Laura's as they watched it happen.

"Good Morning" Sheppard said taking a seat at the head of the table. The lick wasn't missed by Sheppard who had just walked up to join them. She then released him and pulled a face of disgust. Demming looked a mixture of stunned, intrigued and disgusted.

"I feel disgusted yet oddly turned on at the same time" Demming mused, he made no move to wipe the saliva off his face.

"That didn't make me feel better, if anything I feel worse" Hannah said.

"I said pass it on. Not lick my face" Demming told her.

"Trust me I won't be repeating the experience you have the texture of sandpaper and taste of soap" Hannah said slightly gagging, she picked up her juice box and drained the rest of it to wash the soapy taste from her mouth.

"I'm clean and I was going to shave but then I got lazy and seriously why did you coat the side my face with saliva?" Demming asked as he picked him his napkin to finally wipe his face.

"You said pass it on, cold virus is spread by saliva" Hannah said.

"I'm so happy you chose me of all people to share it with. Couldn't you have lick Dr McKay?" he asked, he picked up the waffle he had on his tray and broke it in half.

"No, please don't give McKay a cold!" Sheppard begged as he placed his cup of coffee on the table.

"I'll give you half my waffle if you do" Demming offered to Hannah waving the waffle piece in front of her. Hannah looked clearly not interested as she moved back to her original position with her head in her arms on the table.

"I will pay you good money not to lick McKay…wow I never thought I'd ever say something like that" Sheppard mused as Laura laughed along with Teyla.

"I would prefer if Rodney remained in perfect health" Teyla said with an amused smile.

"So what's wrong with O'Neill?" Sheppard asked.

"Hannah is experiencing her first cold" Laura announced, Sheppard noted how even the redhead looked a little rundown than usual energetic self.

"Hey, I got an idea!" Demming said looking overly excited.

"No" Sheppard and Laura said in unison.

"I haven't even said what it is" Demming said pouting.

"The answer is still no" Sheppard said.

"Fine, be like that!" Demming said folding his arms looking put out.

"You know I've never seen Hannah sick… except for the time she was hangover" Sheppard said.

"The doc said when she descended she may have lost some of her immunity to earth diseases. The doctor reckons she'll have a fun transition phase and they will give her all the other shots after her body has finished playing with its new bug!" Laura cooed she reached over and ruffled Hannah's hair. Hannah groaned and aimlessly swatted her hand around trying to stop Laura after a moment she made a 'meh' noise and lowered her hand.

"Well don't worry kid I got our whole day planned" Demming said more to the table than Hannah. "We are going to relax and watch movies"

"Actually Hannah is going to relax and watch movies and you are going to help me move" Laura told Demming, she exchanged Hannah's empty juice box for fresh one but left it unopened so Hannah could take it with her.

"We can't leave her unsupervised" Demming said.

"Well we don't go off world for another three hours. Ronon, Teyla or I can look after Hannah while you help Lt Cadman" Sheppard offered.

"See easy!" Laura said smiling at Demming as she really wanted some time alone to talk to him and see if would hack into Hannah's personnel file so she could take a look.

"You know I'm right here" Hannah said lifting her head again "And I'm perfectly capable of being left alone for a couple hours. I promise not to go anywhere but to bed and to remain there" she volunteered as she sick and miserable.

"I'm sure, but we have to follow General O'Neill's orders until he believes you are going to behave. Now drink your juice box or I'll make you watch a b-grade scary movies" Sheppard told her. Hannah glowered at the new juice box.

"How about I take Hannah to my lab get her all set up on the couch with some blankets and movies while you all finish up breakfast and then one of you can come and take over?" Demming suggested.

"That works" Sheppard said as he took a bite of his breakfast.

"Awesome" Demming said he picked up Hannah's unopened juice box while Hannah stood up from the seat, she looked ready to collapse and it was only quarter to 7 in the morning.

"Bye all" She mumbled as Demming grabbed her by the arm like an eager school kid and dragged her away. Those at the table smiled before Sheppard looked at Laura.

"Why isn't Hannah wearing any boots?" Sheppard asked as he saw Hannah's barefeet hit the floor as she walked away.

"Cause we couldn't find any and there were no spares in storage" Laura answered.

"Oh, I'll look into that and get someone to track down the pair I gave her yesterday" Sheppard said.

"Thank you Sir"

"So how was the first night?" Sheppard asked.

"Eventful to say the least, I'd prefer to discuss it with you in a less public forum" Laura said as she looked around the now busy mess hall.

"Ok, my office in an hour" Sheppard said looking at Laura curiously for a moment but he understood whatever she wanted discuss she didn't want it common knowledge.

* * *

><p>"So I'm thinking we'll start off with Princess Bride, maybe some other fun movies as laughter is the best medicine. I'm sure if you ask Dr Branton he'll let you borrow something from his movie collection as he has a lot of old black and white movies which I know is more your taste. Or was your taste whatever" Demming continued to talk at a rapid pace about movies and Dr Branton. She nodded not really paying attention as she just wanted to lie down.<p>

They moved through the crowd in the mess hall trying to get to the exit when a hand grabbed Hannah's arm. She turned around and looked at who was holding onto her forearm. Her heart stopped in her throat as it was Daniel Jackson.

"Hannah" He said looking at her in the eyes. His posture was slightly slumped as his eyes were filled with remorse. She looked down at the hand on her forearm it was light, she could feel the heat coming off his person. He appeared the opposite of the man in her nightmares. But her mind told her how he appeared now was just a façade. It made her angry than the panic she had expected as she knew he could still hurt her without inflicting physical pain.

She pulled her arm out of his light grip and turned to walk away but he spoke again.

"Hannah Stop… Please!" Daniel said Hannah turned around the look she gave him was a mixture of panic and anger it soon shifted into an eerie calm expression. He didn't know why he stopped her, actually he was lying he saw an opportunity to talk to her before he left for Earth. He knew he should have let her walk past him in the breakfast crowd but he couldn't help himself.

The light crowd around them parted some taking interest while others continued to go on about their morning getting breakfast and coffee before moving to the tables.

"I just want to talk that's all" he said to her, his heart pounded in his chest as he wasn't sure of what he could say but he just wanted closure and some peace in knowing he explained his actions. She stood no more than five feet away from him with Demming at her side he had placed a hand on Hannah's shoulder and whispered something in her ear. She listened to him and turned to leave.

"Please give me a chance to-" Daniel pleaded.

"Why? Why can't you leave me alone?" She asked him in a low chilling voice. It felt like the room had dropped a few degrees in temperature.

"I'm trying-" Daniel started but Hannah cut him off.

"To what? Feed me lies? It won't work I know you and this act will not fool me. I remember the sadist self serving bastard you are and what you did to me!" she spat at him angrily, the room became quiet as everyone stopped to pay attention this time. It was like they could feel the hostility which was a rare occurrence in the Mess. Hannah and Daniel didn't notice as they were too busy looking at one another.

"Hannah let's go" Demming said gently as he grabbed Hannah's arm she shrugged it off and moved another step closer to Daniel.

"They tell me I'm supposed to trust you, that you are my friend. I find it hard to believe I'd be friends with someone who put me through hell. You know I can still hear those words in my head" Hannah said to Daniel he seemed frozen in his place as he could only remember one time.

Sheppard stood up from his table when the room went quiet. That was when he saw Daniel and Hannah facing each other off. Daniel's shoulders were slumped in an early defeat as Sheppard couldn't see his face as Daniel's back was turned to him. Hannah though he could see was an unhealthy mix of rage and anguish. Tears had fallen down her face as she spoke to Daniel. She wasn't yelling but was loud and clear enough to carry into the room and grabbed attention.

He saw Ronon had just entered the room to witness the show. They both locked eyes for a moment an understanding passed between them. Sheppard knew with her memory loss she didn't have the same control over her emotions. Ronon gave a nod and slowly moved to where Hannah stood. Sheppard looked at Laura who was ready to jump in. Sheppard motioned she stay put as he moved closer to the action.

"Through suffering comes redemption my child" Hannah quoted coldly she stepped closer to Daniel, he paled at the words as they were the direct translation from Ancient of the prayer the Priors used to torture their victims. The same lines he used when his reverse psychology didn't work on her and Adria wished to conform her through the traditional route.

"Through sorrow comes exaltation, through the pitch dark comes the cleansing of the fire and through the fire we shall find the spring of new life. I remember how you-" she stopped and looked away. Her lips thinned out as she wiped the tears from her face. Daniel was at a loss for words for one of the few times in his life.

She felt betrayed, angry and frustrated because she felt so sure of herself but there was a small part of her that questioned everything. It made her feel unsure and powerless. He made her feel powerless because his actions now contradicted what she felt she knew.

"Hannah-" Daniel started but Hannah spoke over him.

"So I ask myself why are you here? Can't you see I want nothing to do with you? I want to forget you and everything that happened which is ironic since I have amnesia. So what will it take to get you out of my life?" She asked him.

Daniel searched her face. He knew her forgiveness wouldn't be easily given or easily gained. But he truly saw no hope as she was hurting because of what he did, he realised O'Neill was right he needed to leave Hannah alone and allow her memories to return as he was only causing her more pain. He sighed defeated and rubbed a hand over his face before looking at her as she waited.

"There's nothing I can say to make you understand or change your perception until you regain your memories. Then you'll understand you may not forgive me but you'll understand. Like anyone in this room can tell you we all make decisions and sacrifices for the greater good. What happened to you was necessary for the greater good of mankind"

"You son of a bitch!" Hannah growled. Sheppard looked at Ronon who was now standing behind Hannah. He saw the signs of Hannah losing her self restraint.

"Ronon, get her out of here" Sheppard shouted before Hannah could make another move Ronon grabbed Hannah from behind pinning her arms to her sides in an iron strong hold so she couldn't get away and proceeded to lift her off her feet.

"No! please wait! wait!" Hannah pleaded Ronon stopped momentarily but kept his hold on Hannah as she stopped struggling and looked at Daniel. "Do you remember my promise to you Dr Jackson?" She asked with predatorily tone, Daniel paled at her tone but nodded though he didn't remember the words he could tell by her tone and the gleam in her what her intent was.

"I'm going to keep it this time!" she told him with a smile, she started struggling in Ronon's grip again but this time to intimidate Jackson as she finally had him scared.

"Ronon" Sheppard ordered.

"You hear me? I'm keeping my promise!" Hannah yelled as she lifted her legs in the air and struggled in a futile attempt to get out of Ronon's grip as he pulled her out of the room all the while she struggled against him and continued to shout from the hallway. Sheppard stepped forward and clapped his hands garnering the room's attention.

"Ok, Breakfast show is over kids! Please return to whatever you were doing beforehand and forget what you saw" Sheppard said though no one missed the slightly authoritative tone as he said the last part, one that translated to a subtle order. After a few moments the mess resumed to how it had been before Daniel and Hannah encounter.

Sheppard turned his back to the room and folding his arms. He stepped toward Daniel with an expression that said he was not impressed and that was Daniel's polite interpretation.

"I assume you are leaving at 0800 with General O'Neill?" Sheppard asked casually.

"Yes" Daniel said, he looked over to see Laura glaring at him. He actually noted many people were giving him unfriendly looks it made him think it was probably best he skip breakfast altogether.

"Good because I know that you didn't purposely go out of your way to be here at the same time as Hannah to try a stunt but then how opportune it appeared you here the same time as her" Sheppard said making unveiled accusation of Daniel and his character.

"Stunt?" Daniel asked.

"Don't think I'm stupid. You want her to go back to Earth with you and General O'Neill. O'Neill agreed to let her stay if she behaves. I wouldn't put it past you to try because I'd do the same if I were in your shoes. By the way what was the promise she was talking about?" Sheppard asked curiously.

* * *

><p>TBC<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Ronon dragged Hannah out on to the closest balcony. He ignored the odd looks as Hannah was more than a handful as she kept trying to wiggle her way out of his hold. He found no amusement that Hannah was in emotional distress she was crying and angry and she told him repeatedly to let her go. When the doors closed to the balcony behind them, Ronon released Hannah from his hold. She immediately turned around and tried for the door.

He blocked her path she tried again but stood in front her like an immovable obstacle. She was not leaving the balcony until he knew she was in control of her anger.

"Get out of my way" Hannah said to him

"No" he told her, she tried to push past him and threw a couple of punches which he easily blocked and parried before pushing her back into the wall. He pinned her against the wall with his body and held her by the wrists.

"Let go of me" Hannah said vehemently as she struggled against him. It was a weak and futile attempt as she had burned what little energy she had. She heaved for air as she couldn't stop the spinning of negative emotions inside her and the effect of Ronon's intimate proximity to her.

"He's not worth it"

"What would you know? You have no idea what he did to me

"I know enough to know he's not worth losing everything you have to gain" Ronon said, he held her in a steady gaze as he felt the fight seep out of her body. She slumped in his hold slightly as she looked away he could see her detaching herself emotionally as she could before she spoke.

"I-" She stopped to take a deep breath refocusing her thoughts. How could she say it was all random memories filled with fear and pain that none of it made any sense but somehow in her mind it seemed real "There are nights when I wake up and I'm disorientated, I'm sweating, my muscles tense as if I'm ready myself for something. I'm on edge, the Shadows play tricks on me making me believe I'm being watched. Nights like that I don't go back to sleep. I have nightmares. Nightmares so real I'd wake up and my throat would be hoarse from screaming my muscles ache from the punishment. I remember him standing over me, his voice, his face… he enjoyed it. I begged him to-" she stopped as she couldn't finish the sentence, pain written on her face as tears fell from her eyes.

Ronon released her wrists and moved one hand to cup her face. He turned her face to meet his while his other hand rubbed her arm in a comforting gesture. She wouldn't look him in the eyes he used his thumb to brush away a tear from her face. She gripped the front of shirt unsure of where to put her hands but not wanting him to move away.

"Seeing him makes me so angry. I was afraid when I first saw him but now I just feel cold anger at him. He gets a free pass and I'm punished" Hannah said looking at the silver pendant that hung on a leather cord around his neck as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. The silver pendant was the shape of a triangle that had the corners cut off. It had alien writing engraved around a main symbol that resemble a stylised number 3 she highly doubted it was a number but still she wondered what the pendant said.

"You aren't being punished, you're being protected. We don't want to lose you" Ronon said her eyes snapped up and met his. Even though he said 'we' something in his eyes said he had a more personal stake in her. It made her heart skip a beat. She kept her eyes locked with his.

She wanted to say many things to him, she wanted to tell him everything and she also wanted to keep him close and kiss him senselessly. It seemed he was having the some of the same thoughts as he looked between her lips and her eyes. She licked her lips and her breath caught in anticipation as she was sure he was going to kiss her.

"Hey- Oh awkward" Demming said before coughing loudly, he turned around so his back was to them even though the moment was completely broken. Ronon stepped away from Hannah and gave a rueful smile as he rubbed the back of his neck. Hannah bit her bottom lip feeling like an idiot as her cheeks became flushed she was about to tell Demming there was no reason to have his back turned when Sheppard appeared.

"Demming, Ronon, O'Neill." Sheppard said walking out onto the balcony he looked at Hannah who was blushing a deep red "How are you feeling? Still an angry little chicken?" Sheppard asked.

"I'm tired" Hannah admitted it wasn't a lie either. She was exhausted and it was mainly due to her 'tantrum' and having a cold. She really needed to lay down. Sheppard smiled as looked at Ronon and then to Hannah he felt as though he had walked in on something without seeing the actual event.

"Well Demming has a couch awaiting your arrival. I actually came out to say its best you guys go now" Sheppard said.

"Why?" Hannah asked.

"I want to limit your run ins to Dr Jackson since he wants to antagonize you into a fight and get you shipped back to Earth" Sheppard explained.

"Great" Hannah said dryly as she leaned her head against the wall, closing her eyes she just wanted some sort of permanency.

"Yeah I prefer to keep you two out of each other's hair until he leaves. So I hope you won't be too offended but Ronon is going to keep you company while I make sure Dr Jackson leaves the base" Sheppard said.

* * *

><p>"You know you can go have breakfast she's out like a light" Demming said to Ronon, as soon as Hannah laid down on couch in Demming's large office she had fallen asleep.<p>

"Sheppard said to stay until Dr Jackson leaves" Ronon said, he was seated in a office chair with his feet propped up on the couch near Hannah's just watching her sleep. Demming had been pottering around his office doing work.

"Which is about half an hour or so away, if she wakes up I'll just tazer her" Demming joked.

"I'll wait" Ronon said.

"There you are!" Laura said coming into the office she walked straight over to Demming and grabbed him by the ear.

"Ow! Ow let go my ear" Demming asked.

"I have been ordered to 'play nice with Dr Jackson or stay away' by Sheppard. So you and I are moving my gear. Considering how reluctant you were to do so over breakfast I felt compelled to motivate you" Laura told him.

"By grabbing my ear?"

"Yeah it works with my brother. You're like an older and more annoying version of him so I figure what works for him works for you" Laura said thoughtfully.

"I'm not your brother" Demming griped

"Thank god considering some of the things you say to me" Laura said shuddering at the thought of her brother ever saying that to her.

"Hey Ronon" Laura said greeting the Satedan, he nodded in greeting. "How's Hannah doing?" Laura asked.

"Sleeping peacefully" he answered looking at Hannah who turned over in her sleep. Though he doubted Hannah would stay asleep if Demming and Laura continued to make so much noise.

"Good, she had a rough night" Laura said looking relieved she smiled and pulled Demming by the ear. "We're outta here!" She said with a wave of the hand. They two left Ronon and Hannah, he could still hear Demming asking Laura to let go of his ear further down the hallway.

He heard Hannah huff as she turned back to face the room. Her eyes were moving rapidly under her eyelids like she was dreaming. She made a face of displeasure and a single tear ran down her face. Ronon dropped his feet and rolled his chair closer to Hannah. He brushed the tear away from her face and gently cupped her face. He wondered what was going through her mind.

* * *

><p>"<em>How long do you plan of lying there?" Daniel asked as he looked down at Hannah. She whimpered in pain as she tried to make her body move. Her muscles were cramped in pain, her body drenched in sweat as she laid face down. She looked at her fingers that were outstretched in front of her begging them to move. She smiled as her body slowly complied to her commands. She summoned what strength she had and pushed off the ground slowly.<em>

"_Ahh getting up… Finally" Daniel's voice dripped with sarcasm. He allowed her to get to her feet she swayed as her vision swam. "So are you ready to open your soul to the Ori?"_

_Hannah took a deep breath and shook her head not before she punched Daniel in the throat. He gasped in surprise she shoved him back against the wall and punched him in the solar plexus he bent forward heaving for air or so Hannah thought for when she went to hit him in the back to push him to the ground. He snapped up and grabbed her by the rags of her shirt swinging her around smashing her into the wall. She groaned as the pain radiated through her being, Daniel then grabbed her by the throat and pushed her up the wall choking her._

"_Still have some spirit I see" He said._

"_Fuck you" Hannah choked out as hot tears burned their path down her face._

"_That an invitation?" Daniel cooed as he tightened grip. Hannah choked for air grasping at his hand around her neck and trying vainly to save herself._

_The vision blurred and melted away as she heard a deep familiar voice "He can't hurt you, I'm here" he said._

_Her vision was became filled with fur and sunlight, she could feel the warmth all around her. She turned in the arms that held her and smiled at Ronon. He nuzzled her neck before kissing her temple._

"_Mmm I could get used to this" Hannah said, she bit her bottom lip and looked into his hazel green eyes. She felt content and at home in his arms. She relished the heat of his body pressed against hers. _

"_Then stay" He said in a low rumble. _

"_Can't I have obligations to meet but I'll be back" Hannah said with a soft smile she traced the small tattoo on his neck with her index finger. _

"_Promise?" he asked as he grabbed the hand that was tracing his tattoo. She watched as he unfurled it and kissed her palm not breaking eye contact._

"_Promise" She said he gave her a heated look and smile as he lowered his lips to hers in a long and deep searing kiss._

* * *

><p>"So all packed and ready go?" Sam asked, she was eager for the first time in the ten years of her friendship with Daniel Jackson wishing he would actually go away and stay away. It made her feel bad for wishing it but he was making her work life a living hell and he had barely been on the base for 24 hours. Personally she needed space from him after hearing his new tid bits about his time in Ori Captivity with Hannah. She knew in time they would move on and their friendship would return to normal but right now it was all too fresh.<p>

"Yes" Daniel said picking up his duffel bag as he stood in the gate room with O'Neill and Sam. He could feel the chill of being unwelcome as the word had spread over the incident in the mess hall. Though no one had said or done anything he could see it in their eyes and the cold shoulder from the military personnel. Apparently even though Hannah was no longer a marine or technically in the military they still considered her one of them.

"I for one am looking forward to my afternoon cappuccino from Starbucks" O'Neill quipped, Sam smiled and chuckled as she knew he was ribbing in the fact she would not be getting a fresh cup of coffee from Starbucks for a long time.

"Well I'll await the email about how good it is Sir" Sam replied.

"Yes and I expect updates on Hannah. Also you should look forward to an early visit from the IOA" O'Neill said.

"I know I'm expecting a visit in the next week" Sam said confidently the Stargate behind them started to oscillate.

"Good Luck" Daniel said.

"Thanks I'm sure it will go well. Hannah has been pretty quiet this morning" Sam said apparently she had not heard the news making Daniel grateful that he might escape without further reprimand.

"Probably that cold she caught crawling through the air vents" O'Neill said looking at Daniel for a moment before looking at Sam "Apparently air vents aren't as clean as one would think" he said.

"So I've heard I guess we should consider ourselves lucky she didn't pick up anything worse" Sam said.

* * *

><p>"Oh and we are done!" Laura said as she flopped down on the couch in her shared quarters. Demming joined her and looked over the room before settling his gaze on Laura.<p>

"How is it you are here one week out of six and manage to accumulate so much stuff?" Demming asked.

"I don't know, it's a gift of mine. We should go get Hannah so she can sleep in her bed" Laura said getting up.

"Hannah's messed up" Demming said rubbing his face.

"No more than the rest of us" Laura said she lightly kicked his shin. "I need a favour" she added. Demming looked up at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You never ask for favours. What's the favour?"

"I need you to get me a copy of Hannah's personnel records and her military files"

"Oh that's a dangerous favour" Demming said sounding reluctant as he sat back looking at Laura.

"I know, but I need to know what happened to her. What really happened, not the bogus story General O'Neill fed us." Laura said running a hand through her hair.

"You sure you really want to know?"

"Look I don't expect it to be a Disney movie Demming. Please just do this for me" Laura said.

"Fine we should go now though while all the bigwigs are distracted" Demming said standing up to stretch.

* * *

><p>Ronon held Hannah in his lap with his arms wrapped around her body. She had become nearly inconsolable in her sleep as she started to writhe in pain. He instinctually lifted her up from the couch and held her. After a few moments of whispering nonsensical words of comfort and rocking she calmed down and slipped into a deep peaceful slumber. Her head rested on his shoulder while her hands held onto the front of his shirt.<p>

He knew he was being selfish but he relished holding her like this even if it was just to soothe her. He moved a hand to cradle her head, taking advantage of her unconscious state to feel her soft skin which was unnaturally warm due to her fever. He the brushed soft blonde hair behind her ear as he wished she would open her eyes and remember everything.

His reverie when heard Sheppard's voice carry into the room. He smirked as he recognised the 'Kirk' tone or so it was dubbed by McKay as Sheppard apologised for running into the woman he was speaking to. Ronon quickly laid Hannah back down on the couch. She made a whimper of dissatisfaction as he gently pulled her hands from his shirt. He kissed each palm before pulling the blanket up to her chin. He could hear from Sheppard finishing up his chat. Ronon sat down in the office chair he started in and pretended he had been there all along when Sheppard came into the office.

"Hey how's she going?" Sheppard asked in a hushed voice as he picked up another office chair with wheels and placed it down next to Ronon's before taking a seat.

"Sleeping" Ronon said not bothering to whisper.

"Well that's good she looked like she could use a few hours." Sheppard said lounging back in his chair and crossing his ankles making himself comfortable.

"Who were talking to out there?" Ronon asked.

"Dr Megan Johnson" Sheppard informed him.

"Who?"

"Redhead, 5ft 6, shy" Sheppard said he looked to Ronon who showed no recognition to the name or description "You remember when we camped out on M47-356 with Dr Vanders team awhile back?" Sheppard asked.

"Yeah" Ronon said.

"The Redhead McKay was mooning over but ended up not getting anywhere with" Sheppard said with an amused smile.

"I remember now" Ronon said.

"Yeah I think she likes me" Sheppard said smugly.

"Who doesn't like you Sir?" Laura asked as she came into the room with Demming.

"I could name a few people" Sheppard said in a jovial tone.

"Hey the child is sleeping" Demming chastising everyone for speaking at normal level.

"Trust me Hannah would only wake up if you sneak around, whispering and being generally suspicious" Laura said. Demming nudged Laura to look at Hannah lying on the couch. The two shared raised eyebrows with amused looks as they were pretty sure Hannah had been lying her head on the opposite end of the couch to how she was now but remained silent.

"Oh right it's those super marine powers they train you military kids with right?" Demming asked.

"Something like that" Laura said smugly. She walked over and felt Hannah's forehead checking her temperature before standing up. "Is Dr Jackson gone?" Laura asked.

"Yes"

"Good, I for one am happy he's gone. Did I mention what a hypocrite he was and this morning just proved my point" Demming said as he pulled open his laptop and starting working.

"How so?" Laura asked.

"He's all I want to apologise I'm not the bad guy here and yet this morning turned around and in true cut throat fashion said she was a 'necessary sacrifice'. That is cold" Demming said not looking up from his computer.

"We don't know exactly what happened but I do agree for a man who can speak many languages he definitely lacks tact" Sheppard said.

"I know he didn't do enough. For a man who worked with the Military for over ten years he still hasn't grasped the concept of 'We don't leave our people behind'. I'm going shut up now before I get into more trouble" Laura said as she sat down next to Demming watching him work on his laptop for a moment before looking back at Ronon and Sheppard.

"Like getting into trouble has ever stopped you before" Demming quipped. Laura smacked him up the side of the head.

"So did the move go as planned?" Sheppard as he chuckled at the two and their shenanigans.

"Yep everything is good and since I'm off duty today I figured I'd watch some movies while Hannah's asleep and annoy Demming" Laura said with a shrug she got up from where she had been sitting and moved around the room searching for something.

"Sounds like fun" Sheppard said.

"Hey what are you looking for?" Demming asked Laura as she pottered around his office lifting and shifting items.

"Your beer and ah ha! Sweet chilli and sour cream chips interesting" Laura said pulling a bag of chips out seemingly nowhere like a magician. She opened the bag and started to eat smiling at Demming who looked slightly peeved at his stash being raided. Laura pulled out a six pack of beer and offered to Sheppard and Ronon who declined as they had to be off world soon. She tossed one at Demming a beer before she cracked open the can and took a sip.

"You know nothing about boundaries do you?" Demming asked Laura choked on her beer.

"That's a bit rich coming from you" Laura said between coughing and laughing.

Sheppard tapped his ear piece "Sheppard here" he said, he nodded before saying "I'll be there in 5 minutes" before he tapped his ear piece and looked to the others. He got up and moved to where Laura was standing eating chips.

"Well you guys look like you have everything in hand here. You should watch the 'Die Hard'." Sheppard advised as he grabbed a chip from the bag.

"Please we are watching 'Dirty Harry'." Laura said as she went and took Sheppard's vacated seat next to Ronon. She offered him some chips which he eyed for a moment before taking a few pieces.

"Dirty Harry" Sheppard said.

"Yup, I got a thing for Clint Eastwood. He's so intense and charismatic" Laura said with a dreamy smile.

"Oh stop it you're turning me on how did I never see him that way?" Demming asked in a deadpanned tone as he continued to work on his laptop.

"See he agrees with me." Laura said as she ate a chip with a satisfied smile.

"Right, if I'm not back I'll see you all at dinner. Ronon remember we are going off world today" Sheppard said. Laura gave him a mock salute as Sheppard exited the room. She looked over at Hannah who looked to be in a deep peaceful slumber.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I want to send a big thanks out to mwbib who has graciously allowed me to use her Original Character Dr Megan Johnson in the story and for her reviews... we may have to go into negotiations about me using your character in the future :-)

* * *

><p>Chapter 13<p>

Hannah woke with a start when she felt something pressed to her forehead. She quickly sat up knocking the what had touched her forehead away from her without opening her eyes.

"Whoa, relax Hannah it's just a juice box" Demming told her.

Hannah sat up and looked to Demming and Laura who looked ready to break into fits of laughter. She rubbed her face and looked at the juice box that was now lying on the floor. Laura held her hand out while Demming paid her $20.

"Told you she'd sleep through anything but try and be sneaky and she wakes up" Laura said smiling.

"What time is it?" Hannah asked.

"Lunch time" Laura answered as Hannah laid herself down again still feeling particularly unwell.

"I'll pass" Hannah said as she pulled the blanket over her head she didn't want to run into Daniel and she also just wanted to lie down and continue sleeping.

"Uh uh, put your boots on we are going to the mess" Laura said as she got up from her seat. She moved to Hannah and pulled the blanket off her which only made Hannah pull a face of displeasure. "You need food and more liquids come on" Laura told her.

Hannah reluctantly sat up and pulled on the socks and boots. She groaned as her muscles ached from her movements as she stood up and stretched. Hannah sat down when her head swam from standing up too quickly. She rested her head in her hands waiting for the dizziness to pass.

"Hey that cold is pretty bad aye?" Laura asked taking a seat next to Hannah rubbing her back.

"I just need a minute" Hannah said.

"I'll go ahead and grab us a table" Demming said getting up from his seat he left the two women alone.

"I'm fine it's just stupid cold" Hannah said to Laura.

"Dr Jackson has returned to Earth."

"Was he really my friend?"

"At one point he was. But things became strained when you between you two for many different reasons. To be honest you two have been on the outs for a few years now" Laura answered. Hannah nodded taking the information in and stored it away for when she was ready.

"So he's definitely gone" Hannah asked.

"He's not coming back unless he's required to. So I'd say he's gone considering we have ten other archaeologists on the base. Come on lets go eat!" Laura said with a smile.

* * *

><p>"I have a lot of Film Noir" Dr Mike Branton said as he sat back scratching his beard thoughtfully. He was a very attractive man who looked to be in mid 30's, he joined them for lunch and Hannah learned he had a PhD in Astrophysics and Hannah did not know in her previous life. He was also incredibly friendly, good mannered and modest which made for a nice change from Demming. Lunch had been good as They had spent their time discussing movies. Well Laura, Demming and Mike had been discussing movies while Hannah picked at her food and watch the three of them talk as she had nothing to really share.<p>

"Oh yeah Hannah's into that, at home we have a whole shelf devoted to movies made in the 30s,40s, 50s… Though we end up watching The Big Sleep, To have to have not, Key Largo, Maltese Falcon, High Sierra, Dark Passage, Now Voyager more than the others" Laura said naming a few titles before she took a sip of her water.

"Humphrey Bogart fans" Mike mused.

"Yeah well Hannah is a fan of his and Lauren Bacall and Bette Davis as well isn't that right?" Laura asked nudging Hannah who looked up from pushing the mashed potato on her plate.

"Sure, I don't really remember and to be honest" Hannah said with a chagrin as she had only been paying attention to some of the conversation.

"I'm sure it'll come back to you when you watch them. Though I recommend you watch more uplifting movies when you have a cold. Laughter is the best medicine after all." Mike said with a kind smile.

"Monty Python" Demming said

"Nah it's not old enough and completely different style of film. I have 'Philadelphia Story' with Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, James Stewart or 'His Girl Friday' Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell just to start they are pretty funny…Actually" Mike drawled he turned around in his seat looking for someone when he tapped the shoulder of a woman who had her back to them. She had auburn hair that was pulled back into a messy bun when she turned her head and looked at them. She looked to be no older than 25 yrs old and even that was a stretch as she looked closer to 21 with her fair skin and youthful appearance.

"Hey Megan meet Lt Hannah O'Neill, Hannah this is Dr Megan Johnson" Mike said making the introductions.

"Nice to meet you" Megan said with a wave from her seat.

"We are talking about classic films from 1930s onwards and I know you're a fan. What do you recommend? Preferably outside of the Film Noir genre" Mike asked her. The woman smiled as the topic was within her realm of knowledge.

"Stage Door, The Women, Bringing up Baby is my favourite with Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn or How to Marry a Millionaire with Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe… I could make a list as long as my arm… Gentlemen Prefer Blondes I-" Johnson was about to continue but was cut off by Demming.

"Not true, I find myself partial to redheads and brunettes" Demming mused wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Yes, but you are not a Gentleman and you are partial to anything with a pulse and two legs" Laura informed him.

"You're wrong, I'm not partial to Dr Branton here and he has two legs and a pulse" Demming argued.

"That's comforting to know and just so you know Demming you're not my type either" Mike told him.

"Well now that's been established that Branton and I won't be having any hot havana nights of passion. What about Scifi?" Demming offered.

"Really? Our lives are a scifi show. I don't think we need to fill Hannah's mind full of aliens and space battles when she can get first hand here" Laura said dryly.

"Yeah I agree and don't get me wrong I love Scifi but since coming here I haven't been able to watch anything involving aliens and space related adventures" Johnson said wistfully as she was now straddling her chair so she wasn't straining her neck to join in on the conversation.

"You love Scifi aye?" Demming asked Johnson not entirely surprised but still surprised she would admit it so freely.

"Yeah, I do. You have a problem with that?" Dr Johnson asked as a blush graced her cheeks.

"No! Not problem at all…Just wondering if you have a Starfleet uniform hanging in your closet or not?" Demming said in a speculator tone. It made Johnson glower at him for a moment while Laura groaned at Demming's lack of subtlety.

"Starfleet Uniform?" Hannah asked. Demming had his eyes latched on Johnson and as such missed Hannah's question.

"I can see you being a Star Trek Voyager girl. Dreaming of being just like Captain Janeway one day. You have the scientist thing down pat just no ship to Captain" Demming said to her.

"Star Trek was and is a very popular science fiction franchise with six series and many movies and books etc. It's actually not too bad my brother loves it. Though he liked Next Generation… who can blame him Patrick Stewart and his voice mmm" Laura said while Johnson and Demming carried their own conversation only for Demming to be distracted by Laura's statement.

"I'm starting to notice you have type Laura" Demming said his attention shifting from Johnson.

"Only now you notice?" Johnson scoffed as she knew Laura's type of man from many girls' poker nights that usually ended up being a huge gossip fest that dissolved into talking about men and sex.

"Johnson you want to talk about your nerdy science fiction addiction…Because I'm more of a Battle Star Galactica fan myself but the original not the re-imagined one" Demming said

"Of course you are" Laura said dryly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Demming asked.

"Dr Branton-" Hannah started.

"Mike" Mike corrected Hannah smiled. Laura and Demming talked on their conversation digressing from their opinions on which version of Battle Star Galactica was better and why into about how Demming was like a horny teenage boy with no manners or tact. Johnson was also caught in their conversation adding in her two cents siding with Laura on whatever was being said.

"Mike, I was wondering when I might be able to drop by and borrow those movies from you?" she asked not really needing to contribute to Laura and Demming's conversation.

"Whenever you like and if you want I'd be happy to keep you company and watch a few movies sometime" Mike said with a warm smile.

"Okay" Hannah said smiling there was something easy and comfortable about his presence. She didn't feel the same sense of baggage she had with the others. It probably helped she had never met him previous to having lunch so she was on equal footing with no history or memories to have to remember.

"Okay? What are you Okaying?" Demming said breaking his conversation with Johnson and Laura.

"I was telling Hannah that if she wants to really fit in round here she'll have to watch some anime. I was suggesting some Studio Ghibli classics"

"Yeah anime isn't my area" Demming said adding his two cents.

"I think you'll get a kick out of My Neighbour Totoro. It's cute, my niece is a big fan of that one and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. My brother is always complaining about how many times they have sat through it. Last email they were about to view it for the 87th time" Mike said.

"That's dedication" Hannah said with a smile.

"I can understand it's a good movie. We'll watch it sometime" he said his eyes never wavered from her as she felt somehow when he said 'we' it didn't include everyone at the table. He took a sip of his drink. "Now I'd loved to stay and chat but I'm behind on my work. Demming, ladies I'm outta here" he said packing up his tray and cutlery to go. "Hannah if you want any movies just give me a call" Mike said he got up from the table taking his tray with him.

"Bye" Laura and Johnson said in unison. Demming and Hannah gave a wave to guy as he left the table.

"He's very good looking" Hannah commented watching Dr Mike Branton leave the mess hall.

"Yes he is" Laura said in agreement.

"What about me?" Demming asked.

"Meh" Laura said looking him over clearly unimpressed. Dr Johnson chuckled at Laura's appraisal while Demming looked insulted.

"Hannah?" Demming asked.

"You're ok but you talk too much" Hannah said honestly.

"Ok and meh my ego is officially deflated. What about you Johnson?" Demming asked turning to her.

"I'm not even going there" She said blushing yet again she turned her attention away from Demming to Laura and Hannah. "I'd love to hang out this afternoon but Major Lorne promised me a Puddle Jumper Lesson this afternoon."

"Major Lorne is taking the time out to teach you?" Demming asked.

"He offered and I already put in a request to investigate a Nebula nearby so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone. I'm so excited!" Johnson said with a genuine smile of excitement.

"Only you would get excited about an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium and other ionized gases" Demming said dryly.

"Well I am a scientist with a passion for physics and astronomy what do you expect?" Johnson asked Demming, she looked to Laura and Hannah.

"So I'll drop my external hard drive on the way to the Jumper bay" Johnson told them.

"That would be awesome and don't forget to pack a camera" Laura said.

"No problem though we should organise a poker night soon yeah?" Johnson asked getting up from her chair.

"Definitely" Demming answered with a smile.

"Girl's Poker Demming you're not invited" Laura told Demming.

"What if I wear a wig?" Demming asked.

"I'll see you later" Johnson said over Demming.

"I can talk about how hot guys are" Demming added.

"See ya then" Laura said to Johnson who walked away shaking her head at Demming.

"Seriously I'm a fan of pillow fights" Demming said.

"You never stop do you?"

"No, my favourite nun at school said I had the gift of talking my way out a paper bag." Demming said.

"You could talk under wet cement and anyway lighten up on Johnson. I like her and I don't need you picking on her" Laura told him.

"I was not picking on her, she's just so young and naïve. No man goes on a 4hr puddle jumper ride out of the kindness of his heart.

"Major Lorne is a gentleman and actually respects a woman. He is also a pilot and they welcome any opportunity to go for a fly. You shouldn't assume he's trying to get in her knickers, it's disrespectful" Laura told him. She felt like she was talking to a brick wall.

"Let's agree to disagree. Let's talk about what we are doing this afternoon. More movies and sleeping?" Demming asked not wanting to argue with Laura.

"Yeah but we are going back to our quarters. Have fun with your work" Laura said getting up from her seat. Hannah picked up her bottle of water and tray following Laura.

* * *

><p>Hannah awoke to whispering voices she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep so she could eavesdrop on the conversation.<p>

"Colonel Caldwell wants to run drills on the Daedalus tonight for a few hours and has recalled all Daedalus crew back to the ship. I couldn't get you out of it so you leave in the next hour" Sheppard said in a low voice.

"That's fine, what about Hannah?" Laura said in a low voice.

"Ronon and I will look after her until you get back"

"Ok, you better tell him he has competition"

"Who?" Sheppard asked with amused tone.

"Dr Mike Branton already extended an offer to watch movies with her and a few marines stopped us in the hallway offered to do PT with her. 'Marine' style" Laura said gleefully.

"What does that mean 'Marine' style?" Sheppard asked.

"Oh you know doing Marine cadences while running and the usual which is more than our average Air force counterparts. I think Hannah liked being pulled back into the fold. You know what they say right? Once a Marine always a Marine" Laura said smugly

"Yeah I've heard that phrase" Sheppard said.

"Hey, you didn't think she'd go unnoticed after stunning a few soldiers and running amok on Atlantis. They all know who she was and well she isn't officially in the corps and still smoking hot. It's like open season" Laura said Hannah could just hear the smile in Laura's tone.

"Even better" Sheppard said dryly.

"Well you better tell your friend Ronon that he better pull his finger out or someone else is going to snatch her up memories or no memories" Laura said in an innocent tone.

"I'll let him know. Now have you two had dinner yet?" Sheppard asked changing the topic.

"No, not yet but I have to go report to Major Marks so I can get an easy section. So tag you're it" Laura said.

Hannah heard the door to the quarters open and close. She heard Sheppard's footfalls near where she laid on the couch she tried to keep her face normal and eyes closed like she was still asleep.

Sheppard reached his index finger down to the space between her eyebrows her 'third eye' his finger hovered just barely touching her. In a flash her hand grabbed his and her eyes snapped wide open.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a sleepy tone as she yawned.

"Testing your spider senses" he said wincing slightly as she gripped his hand hard and was currently pushing his index finger out of his comfort level.

"My what?" she asked.

"Never mind can I have my finger back before you break it?" he asked in a strained voice she had been oblivious to the fact she was pushing it at an odd angle.

"Sorry" she said as she released his hand and sat up the sleeping was helping her she did feel marginally better than she did in the morning.

"No permanent damage. Come on I'm hungry" he said.

"Where's Laura?" Hannah asked running a hand through her hair not wanting to know how she looked.

"She was recalled back to the Daedalus she'll be back in a few hours" Sheppard said.

"Ok, let me freshen up and then we'll get out of here" Hannah said, Sheppard pulled the blanket she had been using off the lounge and proceeded to fold it up into a neat square before he sat down next to her.

"I'll wait here" he said making himself comfortable.

* * *

><p>Hannah peered down at the bowl the chef had put in front of her. When she arrived in the mess with Sheppard she had been pulled to a table and told to sit down her meal was already taken care of.<p>

"Eat it, it's the chef's cure all" Sheppard told her, she looked at his meatloaf and mashed potato with vegetables opposite her wishing she could eat that instead. Ronon sat beside her with twice as much as Sheppard. The man had a voracious appetite.

"It looks like someone was sick in my bowl" Hannah told him as she looked back her bowl it was a chicken broth with rice, carrots, white radishes, shallots, spinach, mushrooms and some vegetables Hannah was sure she had never consumed in her life. It was all floating in a light brown liquid making her feel slightly nauseated by it.

"Ahh the Chef's famed cure all I heard rumours about it but wow that's a meal" Sam commented as she joined them at their table.

"If you don't eat it, he'll make you drink hot ginger tea and trust me it is not as delicious as it sounds" Sheppard told Hannah. Hannah picked up her spoon and ate a tentative spoonful of the soup. Sam and Sheppard watched her waiting for her reaction.

"It's actually pretty good" Hannah admitted grudgingly.

"See I told you" Sheppard said as he began eating his food.

"So Hannah how was your day?" Sam asked.

"It was alright. Spent most of it asleep, met new people I haven't actually met before" Hannah said between bites of food.

"Oh yeah?" Sam asked interested and glad that Hannah was making an effort to settle in.

"Yeah Dr Branton and Dr Johnson at lunch and when Laura and I left we ran into a few guys she knows. They were funny said they knew of me by rumours and had to introduce themselves to me. They also knew about my amnesia they think I should do PT with them and get back into my routine so when I want to re-up whatever that means then I can" Hannah said with a shrug.

Sam looked uneasy from the news and placed her cutlery down carefully thinking about how she should phrase her next words.

"Re-up is when you reenlist for another few years depending on the contract. But you shouldn't be making any big decisions like that until your memories back" Sam advised her cautiously. Hannah dropped the spoon she had been eating with on the table with a resounding bang and looked at Sam. The 'wait until your memories come back' was a phrase she heard quite regularly and it annoyed her to no end. As if her current state made her incapable of functioning.

"I was only going to hang out with them. I doubt I'm of sound mind to be making any big decisions for myself beyond how I wear my hair" Hannah said feeling despondent she didn't know if it was the cold making her more sensitive than usual but it's not like she had previous experience of being ill to gage herself.

"I didn't-" Sam started.

"It's ok" Hannah said cutting her off, it was obvious Hannah's fuse was short. Sheppard knew how that felt and kind of expected as much with her being sick, her morning run in with Daniel. It couldn't have helped her overall mood for the day.

"Cookie?" Sheppard offered holding his chocolate chip biscuit out to her. Hannah looked at him for a second before she burst out laughing. Something about his expression and the silence at the table she found funny. It was probably because he thought feeding her sugar would make all the problems disappear. Soon Sheppard joined her in laughing only to earn them both odd looks from Ronon and Sam who didn't know what was funny.

"Sure" Hannah said she tried to take the biscuit but Sheppard pulled away.

"Not until after you finish your dinner" he told her. Hannah smiled as she picked up her spoon to continue eating. She rolled her eyes at Sheppard but continued to eat her dinner. If she didn't look at it she would be fine.

"Sheppard I've been meaning to talk to you about some new schedule changes" Sam said noticing the change in the atmosphere at the table. Sheppard paused in eating and turned to give her his full attention.

"I'm free after dinner" Sheppard said.

"Good, now tell me how did your diplomatic mission go today?"

"Well, Kaan has extended an invitation to the harvesting feast next week"

"I assume you'll be going?"

"Yeah, last time they cooked some kind of animal that looked like a cross between a cow and horse in a fire pit. It was delicious" Sheppard said.

"Sounds good, can I go?" Hannah asked with a hint of hope in her tone. She was not sick of Atlantis but she did miss being outdoors with earth at her feet and stars above her.

"No, you're not allowed off world" Sam said feeling like the bad person.

"You know it wouldn't be bad idea for Hannah to go. She was the one who did the original trade negotiations with Kaan. He'd get a kick out it and they are peaceful people" Sheppard said.

"It's non negotiable. General O'Neill orders." Sam said. Hannah looked down at her meal and continued to eat in silence. Ronon said nothing but Sheppard felt for Hannah it had only been a couple of days and she gone from being with Athosians free to do her own thing to being kept guarded from everything and everyone in Atlantis. _Maybe it had been a mistake to bring her back_ he thought.

Dinner progressed in an awkward tug of war as Sheppard tried to keep the mood uplifted and happy and Sam sadly bringing it back down whenever Hannah got excited by ideas of going to New Athos, Puddle Jumper ride to the main land were all vetoed due to General O'Neill's orders. It was a little disheartening that Sam didn't say 'maybe later down the track' instead of an outright 'no'. Soon the meal was finished and Sheppard handed over the promised biscuit to Hannah before they left.

Hannah turned to Ronon who was still beside her. She couldn't help but think back to the early conversation between Laura and Sheppard she had overheard. She quickly thought better of not to read too much into it. Yes the two had chemistry but he never showed any outward signs of being interested in her more than just a 'friend'. There were moments where she thought they would kiss but they never did. She was beginning to think her memory was faulty.

"Thank you for this morning" Hannah said to him as she broke the biscuit into smaller pieces.

"Don't worry about it" he said pushing the now empty tray away from him and picking up his bottle of water to finish it off.

"Right, so when I kick this cold think we could spar again?" Hannah asked changing the topic.

"Sure" Ronon said casually like he didn't care either way. Hannah swallowed the frustration she felt at his short answers. _So he said the equivalent of 'yes'. But would it kill him to show a little more enthusiasm?_ She thought as she ate half the biscuit no longer enjoying it.

"Right so I take it you're babysitting me until Laura gets back?" Hannah asked.

"You're not allowed to be alone" Ronon told her.

"You don't have to remind me" Hannah said dully as she traced her finger on the table like she was writing something with her index finger.

"Come on let's go for a walk" Ronon said standing up.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: I have made some pretty grandiose Psychology claims in this chapter... I am however not a psychologist or even a student of the subject so if it it horribly incorrect please let it slide for story purposes :-)

* * *

><p>Chapter 14<p>

Hannah spent the next four days in and out of consciousness. She felt like her body was catching up for her lack of sleep when she first arrived on New Athos until her arrival at Atlantis. Her cold by the fifth day was nearly finished she only felt a little run down but all the other symptoms were gone. Her conscious moments were spent with Laura or Sheppard as Demming had been tied up in some project with Dr McKay.

She only saw him at Lunch and Dinner. As for Ronon, he sat with her every meal but never really spoke to her only to the group. They never spent anytime just the two of them alone and the last time they did he escorted her to her door. They hadn't talked or anything it was disappointing and frustrating.

She knew there was something there but she was starting to believe it was one sided. Sheppard had noticed her frustration and told her to not take it personally as Ronon wasn't a talkative guy to begin with and that his reserved nature didn't mean he was indifferent to her. He was just trying to figure how to be around her. When she asked Sheppard what her relationship with Ronon was he shrugged and said she had to ask Ronon.

But Ronon was not the easiest person to talk to. There was also the point she didn't want to be hurt. Maybe he didn't feel the same or was in the same boat as Sam. That Hannah should not be making big decisions or getting too involved with anyone too soon.

Though Hannah did catch him looking at her sometimes when he thought she wasn't paying attention. It made her sad that she couldn't remember the actual events of meeting him or how she really felt. Not what her dream addled brain wanted to tell her.

Sheppard and Hannah talked about her first year on Atlantis, mainly him saying how he missed her doing all his paper work and being a peace maker compared to Major Lorne who didn't do Sheppard's work and how Lorne was more well behaved than Hannah.

"I'm just saying once I'd like him to come back drunk and with a good trade deal and a marriage proposal from the village leader" Sheppard said with an amused smile as they stepped out of the transporter walking to Sam's office.

"He doesn't get good trading deals?" Hannah asked.

"No they are good but it's not the same or as amusing." Sheppard said as they climbed the stairs two at a time.

"I have to say I wished I remembered"

"You will. So what's this I hear about you and Mike Branton watching movies together?" Sheppard asked.

"It was one movie and I actually fell asleep during it I was so tired" Hannah said lightly blushing. It had been yesterday afternoon when she dropped by to ask Mike about borrowing some movies when she caught him at the right time apparently. As he had finished all his work for the day so they sat in his office watching a movie called 'Annie Hall' on his laptop. Much to her embarrassment she had not only fallen asleep on his shoulder but she had apparently snored. A 'light and adorable' snore he told her but still it was embarrassing, at least she didn't drool on the guy.

"Uh huh"

"Why does it sound like you don't believe me?" Hannah asked.

"You're a good looking woman and he's a good looking man…" Sheppard drawled.

"Are you jealous?" she asked in a teasing tone.

"No, I'm a 'Harry met Sally' fan" Sheppard said with a smile.

"Ok" Hannah said, Sheppard went ahead of her into Sam's office announcing their presence.

"Colonel Sheppard, Hannah come in I'd like you to meet Mr Roland Carver" Sam said standing up from behind her desk she gestured to a tall man in his late 40's. He got to his feet and button on his jacket. He was about 5ft 10 dressed immaculately in a three piece grey suit with shiny black shoes that were scuffed just a little. He had olive complexion and black short hair that was starting to go grey.

"Colonel Sheppard, pleasure" he said with a light British accent, the two shook hands before Mr Carver turned to Hannah.

"And Hannah O'Neill you haven't kept your Military title?" He asked her with a curious look.

"I thought I wasn't an officially recognised member of the military anymore" Hannah said.

"Technically true, my apologies if I have upset you" he said kindly, he held out his hand to her which Hannah took the hand and shook it firmly.

"Its fine, I'm sure you are aware of my 'condition'" she said.

"Yes, of course it is why I am here. Dual role as it were" he said.

"I'm lost"

"I'm a representative from the IOA here to welcome you back into the fold and to say we have our interests in you"

"You do?"

"Yes before your subsequent capture and ascension. Your contract with the US Marines was coming to an end. We offered you a position on Atlantis to work as a Military Liaison Officer between the civilian and military counterparts. The offer is still on the table after we recover your memories" he said opening his brief case he pulled out a contract and handed to Hannah.

"Mr Carver" Sam started she pulled the contract out of Hannah's hands before she could have a proper look. "I would prefer you not offer any contracts to Hannah before passing it by me" she said.

"I did not mean for her to sign it yet. It was for Hannah to look through herself in her own time." Mr Carver said diplomatically.

"You said 'we' recover my memories" Hannah said.

"Yes, I have spoken with a few of my colleagues and I have looked over Dr Heightmeyer's notes and I think with the help of Hypnosis we may be able to shake a few memories loose and see what happens and the rest is time and grooming for your role" Mr Carver said in a casual tone like it would be nothing at all.

"Heightmeyer said it would be better for Hannah to remember naturally without prodding and mind poking" Sheppard said.

"Yes I'm sure she would. But then she is still young and relatively new to the field compared to seasoned professionals such as myself and my colleagues. She will not want to make radical decisions about a diagnosis or try any treatments until she makes a full assessment. But even then she applying her diagnosis in the wrong context" Carver said thoughtfully.

"You sound sure of yourself" Sam said.

"Hannah I will tell you that your memories are in there but like all soldiers you have had rigorous mental training. Training that becomes second nature that you do it unconsciously without thinking. Like how you stand to the side of the door being able to observe the room while keeping your back to the wall and close to the exit. You subtly assessed the room for possible threats and then assessing me as a possible threat. Tell me did I pass inspection?" Carver asked with an amused smile.

"Your suit is very nice. Italian?" Hannah asked a light blush gracing her cheeks as she was guilty of doing what he said.

"Yes it is. Very good eye for detail and it's nothing to be ashamed of. You were trained to do so but it does prove my point that even though you can't remember things you are still functional and the skills you learned are in there." Carver said.

"So what now?"

"Well I would like to settle in and talk more intimately with Dr Heightmeyer and Dr Keller. How about we meet tomorrow at 10 am I will let you know the location. If that is agreeable with you?" Carver asked Hannah. She liked how he spoke directly to her than to Sam and Sheppard. It made her feel like she was a part of the progress than the just the 'subject'.

"Yes, of course" Hannah said.

"Good, now you should go and enjoy the rest of your day. Beautiful weather I'm told" Carver said smiling at the two of them.

"You're both dismissed" Sam said to them.

* * *

><p>"Well that's good news" Sheppard said a few hours later over lunch to Hannah.<p>

"Yeah it is because I can safely say I'm frustrated and sick of waiting for it all to come back" Hannah said as she pushed the chef's 'cure all' soup in the bowl it seemed she had to have the soup at least once a day until she was better. So it wasn't really a 'cure all' but trying to the chef that was impossible.

"Indeed, I would feel the same in your situation" Teyla said as she was seated to Hannah's left at the table with Sheppard opposite her. Ronon had yet to appear for lunch she wondered where he was then squashed the thought quickly.

"Anyway Mr Carver seems pretty confident and a future job for me" Hannah said with a smile.

"Don't go signing-" Sheppard started.

"Until I read all the fine print and remember everything I know" Hannah said as she sat back in her chair.

"Just looking out for you and also a box arrived with some of your stuff from Earth and more clothes and shoes. It'll be in your quarters later this afternoon after the boys are finished with the breaking up and delivering the shipments" Sheppard said.

"Ok" Hannah said, she was actually getting excited at the prospect of what was waiting for her. She hoped there would be things inside that would give her some insight into her past.

"I was planning on going to New Athos to visit my people this afternoon. Hannah would you like to join me?" Teyla asked.

"I wish I could but I'm not allowed off world" Hannah told Teyla with a sigh.

"Even to New Athos?" Teyla asked surprised by the statement.

"Yeah, General O'Neill's orders for the time being stand" Sheppard said reluctantly but it was clear he didn't like the restrictions on Hannah's freedom considering New Athos was her other home and he knew seeing Halling and the other Athosians she knew would probably boost her morale.

"But would pass my well wishes to everyone for me?" Hannah asked her.

"Of course I will" Teyla said with a warm smile.

* * *

><p>"Mr Carver-"<p>

"Just Carver or Roland will do. Tell me Dr Heightmeyer how I'm wrong in my assumption?" Carver asked, he pulled on the cuffs of his shirt straightening them.

"I'm do not agree that theory or hypnosis will help recover her memories" Kate Heightmeyer said aggravated by her first meeting with Mr Carver. He was wolf in sheep's clothing.

"It's worth a try and anyway I want to hook her up to the Galarian memory device" Carver said.

"Are you insane?" She asked him, she did not like the idea of using a technological intervention on Hannah.

"Not that I'm aware of. But the plan is we can make a copy of her memories with the device and then she can watch them slowly along with progressive Hypnosis treatments to minimise the emotional distress of memories flooding back. That in conjunction with journal writing of her dreams and Memories she recovers. Can be further examined in talk therapy you so love to indulge in" Carver said with a firm tone.

"Talk therapy shows more long term results"

"If you were charging normal Doctor's rates then you would be able to afford a mansion, two holiday homes and a few sports cars for the hours you spend with Dr McKay" Carver commented.

"He-"

"I don't need to know. But I want you to dedicate more time to the rehabilitation of Hannah O'Neill as she is a far more valuable mentally whole than Dr McKay who seems to thrive in his insanity" Carver said, at this Heightmeyer's jaw dropped as she made time for all the people on base who needed to talk or an ear to listen and this man wanted to tell her how to do her job.

"So I will be here to watch oversee the progress and also to evaluate you and your work. We will be meeting with Hannah tomorrow at 10am" Carver said looking at his watch.

"Would you like to use my office?"

"That would be good and I'd like you to observe tomorrow if you are free?"

"Of course" Kate Heightmeyer bit out.

"Good, now if you'll excuse me I have to find Dr Keller" Carver said and with that he left Heightmeyer's office without so much as by your leave. Heightmeyer closed the door and closed her eyes pinching the bridge of her nose waiting for her anger to simmer down.

* * *

><p>Hannah was awoken from her afternoon nap by the chiming at her door. She rolled off the couch and padded over to the door while running a hand through her hair trying to smooth it out. When she reached the door, she swiped her hand over the sensor the door opened to reveal Mike Branton.<p>

"Mike" She said surprised by his appearance, he stood holding a large box in his hands.

"Hey, did I wake you?" he asked wearing a friendly smile.

"Yeah but it is ok. Come on in" Hannah said standing to the side of door so he could come in.

"Wow nice place" he said looking around the spacious two bedroom apartment with the spacious living room and beautiful views.

"Thanks, what's with the box?" Hannah asked.

"Oh I think this is yours" he said as he placed it on the couch. Hannah closed the door and moved to the box.

"Should I ask how you got it?" she asked as she saw her name clearly printed on the side of the box.

"Well actually it was sitting outside your door I thought I'd pick it up for you as it's pretty heavy" he told her.

"Oh thanks" She said appreciating his thoughtfulness as she opened it up and started to rifle through the items inside. It was filled with clothes and books. She pulled out some of the books and laid them to the side of the box.

"Eclectic reading selection" Mike commented as he looked through the pile. She had various fiction titles and authors and a few technical manuals along with non-fiction books.

"Sorry, did you want something to drink?" Hannah asked as she remembered her manners and not the ownership of anything in the box.

"No, I'm good. I just wanted to stop by since I know you don't have a radio" He said as picked up a book with the title 'Bourne Identity'. A small smile played on his lips before he put it down.

"Pablo Neruda?" He asked in surprised as he lifted up the book.

"What's wrong with it?" Hannah asked.

"Nothing at all, it's rare to find someone who actually reads poetry around here" he commented.

"Well judging from my other books I'd say I don't read a lot of Poetry either" Hannah said as she looked at the other titles. There were technical manuals and nonfiction and fiction.

"No, at least you have taste Oscar Wilde, Zoe Sharp, Lee Child, Isaac Asimov, Arthur Conan Doyle, Ian Fleming" he said smiling as he held up a book titled 'Casino Royale'.

"I do seem to be an Ian Fleming fan. Whoever and whatever he writes about" Hannah commented as she took the book out his hands. She had several Ian Fleming books a couple of them in different languages.

"You'll enjoy reading them again. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones" He said as he read the title of the book in his hands.

"Yeah, any good?" She asked.

"Studio Ghibli did a movie based on this book, it was excellent" He said.

"You can borrow the book if you want. The least I can do since you're letting me watch your movies" Hannah told him.

"Well I accept a trade of books for movies. What are you doing tomorrow afternoon?" Mike asked keeping a hold on the book.

"Nothing yet why?" Hannah asked cautiously she hoped he wasn't inviting her off world or some other adventure where she wasn't allowed to go because of General O'Neill's standing orders.

"They recently installed indoor rock climbing facilities in a large room in the sublevels of the south east pier. I was wondering if you'd like to go for a climb with me. I figured after a week of sleeping you'd like to do more than sit around and watch movies" he said.

"I'd love to" Hannah said earnestly and actually happy she could agree to something.

"Good I'll pick you up round 3 from here?" he asked gazing down at her.

"Ok" Hannah agreed hodling his gaze she gave a slight nod. A smile spreading across her features to match his.

"Ok, until then. Thanks for the loan and don't worry I'll see myself out" He said leaving Hannah to her box of personal items. She smiled as she liked the man, he went out his way to say hello to her in the morning and sometimes catching a meal with her. She also like the lack of history between them as it made her feel like she didn't have to act a certain way around him or worry she wasn't living up to his expectations. If he did they were pretty low since he let her snore her way through a movie.

She pulled out the rest of books and piled them on the couch with the other books she lifted out earlier beside the box and then looked through the clothes. There were three sets of marine BDU's all in different coloured camouflage, forest, sand, and urban. Along with t-shirts, knickers, bras, socks, a pair of sneakers and some workout gear.

There was nothing deeply personal in the box which was disappointing she was hoping there would be a diary or maybe some photos but apparently she was camera shy and not a writer. She felt no familiarity with the books she picked them up flicking through the pages when Laura came in.

"Hey! what is all this?" Laura asked.

"My stuff apparently" Hannah said as she tossed the books back into the box angry with her 'past' self for not helping her 'present' self with her predicament.

"Not what you were expecting?" Laura asked noting Hannah's less than stellar mood.

"Would it kill for me to know about my past without having to ask people to remind me? Like I don't know maybe a diary?" Hannah asked tartly as she dropped another book in the box.

"You burned your diaries" Laura told her, Hannah stopped and looked at Laura.

"Why would I do that?" Hannah asked.

"You didn't want people to use your personal thoughts against you. Let's just say some people at the SGC weren't fans of yours and could potentially twist your words. I'm not making any sense am I?" Laura asked awkwardly.

"Yeah but I think I sort of get what you're saying" Hannah said vaguely as she tossed in the last of the books and closing the lid.

"Look, you'll remember everything and this aggravating period will be over. What are you doing tomorrow afternoon?"

"I'm busy actually" Hannah said

"Really? Who you with? Demming, Sheppard, Ronon?" Laura asked there was a hint of excitement in her tone at the prospects.

"None of the above" Hannah said casually. With the help of Laura they lifted the box and moved it into her room.

"Then who are you spending your time with?" Laura asked her curiosity eating her alive.

"Dr Branton" Hannah said not wanting to look at Laura's reaction. She kept telling Hannah to hang out with Ronon but while there was an attraction he wasn't actively seeking her out and she didn't feel he was receptive to her as she was not the girl he remembered. The disappointment she couldn't be the woman everyone remembered burned inside her.

"Mike Branton?" Laura asked for clairification as she was shocked that Hannah would agree to go out with Mike when she had Ronon. _Well sort of have Ronon_ Laura mentally corrected herself.

"Yep, he's taking me indoor rock climbing so I have some actual physical activity"

"That sounds like fun, just you and him or other people going?"

"I don't know what does it matter?" Hannah asked.

"It doesn't, you want to go have dinner?" Laura asked changing the topic. She knew Hannah was just expanding her social circle and there was nothing wrong with that in Laura's books.

**TBC**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I had exams and caught sucked into the land of Terra Nova when the dust finally settled I realised I hadn't updated… So many apologies and also a big thanks to the reviews I like them as they stroke my ego and make me smile**

* * *

><p>Chapter 15<p>

"What is going on here? And why wasn't I informed?" Sam demanded of Carver as she walked into the Isolation room. The man smiled at her warmly as he shrugged out of his jacket. She had been called by Dr Keller who was disgruntled at one of her isolation rooms being used without her permission by Carver. The man had decided to just set up shop without even requesting permission to use the space.

When Sam arrived to the Isolation room she found Carver and Dr Zelenka setting up computers on a table beside the main bed that came with the isolation room. Cameras had been set up around the bed and there were several boxes sat in a neat pile to onside of the room all marked with 'fragile' and ''. Carver was really rubbing Sam up the wrong way as he pretty much went wherever he pleased like he owned the place and didn't inform Sam in advance of his requirements or needs.

"I do not answer to you Colonel Carter. But as a courtesy I will tell you what I am doing. Now with the help of Dr Zelenka, I am setting up for Hannah's treatments." Carver said as he rolled up his sleeves to his elbows. He opened a box and lifted out a device that Sam recognised well. Though this one looked far more advanced than the one she had encountered a year or so ago when she and SG1 were invited to Galaran to witness its potential.

"Galarian Memory Device. I thought you were going to use hypnosis and actual therapy" Sam said not hiding her disapproval at his obvious designs of pulling the memories from Hannah's mind and shoving them back in to let the poor girl deal with them properly.

"I am but let's face facts here. The IOA are impatient with your lack of progress in scientific and technological advances in the last few months. The Galarans have offered us their most recent version of the technology to help remedy the situation. Also this device will cut down her recovery by months to hopefully days" Carver said as he continued to set up the room with Zelenka.

"It's not safe" Sam said.

"No, what's not safe is allowing her brain to scramble from being overloaded from too many memories and it's a waste of a life and knowledge that can help us. Now at the moment her mind is locked up. I'd say some help from the Ancients but as we know Dr Jackson's memories eventually returned to him so one can assume the same will happen for Miss O'Neill. This Device will save her and the knowledge she has. An actual record to help us" Carver said he directed Zelenka over to another computer while they hooked up the device and turned it on.

"I have seen the side effects of that mach-" Sam started.

"It's perfectly harmless and I conversed with the head scientist of this project from Galaran. He will be arriving in the next three days to perform the procedure. Miss O'Neill will be closely monitored and the hypnosis and therapy sessions will lessen the emotional distress from her memories. Once she has recovered she will be able to assume her new duties on Atlantis within weeks instead of months" Carver said he said waving her concerns off with a dismissive hand.

"All because you want the information in her head" Sam said.

"Don't sound so indignant Colonel. We all have the same goal the rehabilitation of Miss O'Neill and her continued presence on Atlantis. So we can reap the benefits of her knowledge and expertise which is currently being wasted" Carver said. Sam looked to Zelenka wondering if the man had anything to say but he kept his head down doing whatever task Carver had given him and looked like he wanted to stay out of the argument.

"I agree but I don't agree with your methods" Sam said.

* * *

><p>Hannah sat across from Carver in Dr Heightmeyer's office, listening to him as he explained in depth about his plans to recover her memories. She could see Sam was not happy by these plans as the woman glared at Carver. Heightmeyer also looked just as unimpressed as she listened to these plans.<p>

"So this device will show me my memories"

"Yes, it can but it can also help you recover your memories without the need to watch them all. I don't know the full details of how the device works the scientist who helped create the device will be able to go into detail and answer any of questions you might have in detail. But you understand why we have to strip the other four individual's memories out of you mind right?" Carver asked, he was covering all bases knowing that Hannah was an intelligent woman even if she couldn't remember a few things he had found her razor sharp attention to detail put him in a vicarious position. He did not need her picking up anything suspicious about what his true plans were as he wanted to getaway clean and maintain his cover.

"Yes and to be honest I feel quite relieved at hearing I won't have some kind of mental breakdown" Hannah said with a look of relief. Finally someone had told her some truth about her that didn't end with a 'you'll remember eventually' or 'it'll come to you'. Basically they told her she was clone made by the Asgard to try and stop the genetic degradation of their clones thus save their species. Sadly something had gone wrong in the process and she had woken up with a personality of her own and knowledge and memories of her DNA. As crazy as it all sounded to her ears her mind and gut told her this was truth. She felt the heaviness of knowing she had valuable knowledge locked up in her that could help people.

It was a burden knowing she was unable to remember but if Carver was right he could takeout all that knowledge and that knowledge could be utilised instead of wasted in her brain. The bonus was she would get her personal memories back which meant she would no longer be in limbo. She could be productive and be able to contribute instead of being babysat and coddled.

"I can imagine. You will still have to see Dr Heightmeyer and myself after the procedure. We will have therapy and hypnosis sessions and I also want you to keep a journal on your dreams and the memories you will recover. Just a log of progression we won't be reading them unless you wish to share or talk about something in them." Carver said, he handed her a tablet computer which Hannah took and placed beside her.

"So when do we start?" Hannah asked.

"Today the journal and hypnosis session the procedure won't be for another three days." He told her.

"Which you can change your mind about doing at any time" Sam said.

"I would advise against it. If you don't do the procedure it could take you months, maybe years to remember anything" Carver told Hannah.

"I won't change my mind I want the procedure." Hannah said firmly, she had a choice here to spend months trying to remember or to remember in hours and deal with whatever Sam and Heightmeyer didn't want her to remember. She understood she had a dark history she wouldn't have nightmares if her life had been rainbows and sunshine but it was better to know what was real. To understand how she came to be here and get some answers to questions that plagued her. Like why did she have so many scars? How did she get them? Why did Sheppard and the others look at her with pity?

"Hannah, I really don't think you should go through with it" Sam said.

"Why not?" Hannah asked getting annoyed they all wanted her to remember why was this sudden change of mind.

"You should read the material on the procedure and the device they are using. He wants to strip out your memories separate them and re-implant select memories" Sam said.

"Your memories Miss O'Neill" Carver added so that there was no confusion.

"And this is bad because?" Hannah asked.

"We have no idea what it will do to you."

"So the Unknown is what you fear. My memory would eventually return yes?" Hannah asked Heightmeyer and Sam.

"Maybe" Heightmeyer said.

"Would it be all in one go or bits and pieces" Hannah asked.

"We can't say the brain is still a mystery to us" Heightmeyer said.

"So I may never remember and remain as I am?" Hannah asked.

"A possibility but it is worthwhile waiting instead doing this procedure?" Heightmeyer said earnestly. The redhead believed that the procedure was a bad thing but Hannah hated that her answers were not clear cut and precise. It was just they had no certainty of what would happen. It was like they wanted her to put her life on hold until she remembered. Which could be indefinitely it was too stressful for Hannah to think about.

"If you understood what it has been like for the past few weeks you would not ask me such a question" Hannah said clearly agitated. Sam took a step back from Hannah while Heightmeyer looked ready to debate with Hannah. Hannah sick other people deciding what is best for her and shot Heightmeyer a dark look before turning to Carver.

He had taken it upon himself to look out the window at the view while she, Sam and Heightmeyer talked.

"So how do we do this hypnosis?" Hannah asked changing the topic looking to Carver.

"Well I'll be putting you in a hypnotic trance" He said turning away from the window.

"Ok… can we get started?" Hannah asked.

"No" he said. Hannah became confused and moved to stand by his side.

"No?" she asked thinking he was playing a joke on her.

"No I'm not going to hypnotize you now. You're too stressed" he told her holding her in a steady gaze.

"Are you kidding me?" she demanded he gave a quirk of a smile as if amused and laid a hand on her shoulder. She looked at his hand on her shoulder before looking back at his face.

"It's okay… It's okay" his fingers on her shoulder tapped lightly and he spoke with an even and calm voice. There was something about how he spoke and his steady gaze that had her slightly mesmerized "You see the problem is like I said you're too stressed. I'd have to make all the stress leave your body maybe a heavy count down from 100, 99, 98…We go round and round 94, 93…" he continued to speak watching as she slowly slipped into a trance. Her eyes glazed over and he smiled with his success as he waved a hand in front of her face.

"Now listen to me Hannah, all the stress would have to melt away you'd have to feel calm and relaxed and very safe. It's just impossible. I'm not hypnotizing you Hannah, it's not going to happen. So you are just going to relax. You are not falling into a deep relaxing trance state." He said pausing for a moment.

"Sleep." he finished Hannah closed her eyes and leaned forward onto his shoulder.

"Good. Alright." He said patting her back. He moved her to the couch and sat her down.

* * *

><p>"Are you ever going to speak to her?" Teyla asked Ronon, the two circled one another with bantos sticks in hand. They had been sparring for the past hour and Teyla had been handing Ronon his ass at every opportunity just prove his mind was not in the game.<p>

"What am I suppose to say?" Ronon asked, he lowered his bantos sticks knowing if he continued sparring he'd end up with more bruises to not only his person but ego. He also wanted to talk.

"Perhaps you should be honest about how you feel. Even a blind person can see the affection she holds for you. Yet you let her be confused by treating her with indifference" Teyla said relaxing her stance.

"She doesn't remember" Ronon said.

"She will eventually and why not help her to remember. Like I said the emotions and the attachment are there. If you can't see that, then obviously you are less observant than I believed you to be" Teyla teased giving him a kind smile knowing she was not trying to insult him.

"I don't know"

"You are afraid" Teyla said.

"No" Ronon answered a little too quickly.

"Then what is holding you back?" Teyla asked it was a good question as Ronon had been asking himself the same question. He wanted her, he wanted to continue where they left off but he couldn't bring himself to do more than sit in her presence. All because she didn't remember them, he didn't want her to be with him just because he told her and while she asked for his company there was a part of him that made him hesitant.

The old second thoughts of whether he was ready for a relationship, even though years had passed since Melena. He sometimes felt he wasn't ready to become so deeply attached to anyone even if he had strong feelings for Hannah. He truly didn't want to hurt her or himself and that was the crux of it all.

* * *

><p>"So you're going down the steps relaxing with each step now you reach the bottom the ultimate place for relaxation how are you feeling?" Carver asked.<p>

"Good" Hannah said casually.

"Good" Carver murmured before continuing. "You're going to remain in the relaxing trance state while we think about what happened two days ago ok? I want you to watch the whole day like it's a movie every detail is in focus, you can zoom into any moment you want. You can fast forward rewind you are in total control ok?" He asked her as he sat back in his chair getting comfortable.

"Ok" Hannah replied.

"What do you see?"

"I'm in my quarters sleeping. Having the bad dreams again I wished I had just stayed awake" Hannah said her eyes were unfocused as if she was staring into space.

"What's going on in the dream?" Carver asked, Hannah's breathing became erratic and she shook her head as her expression was one of true panic and fear.

"It's ok you're in a trance state everything is ok, whatever is happening can't hurt you. You're in control" He told her calmly.

"He's coming" Hannah whispered.

"Who is he?" Carver asked.

"He won't leave until he gets what he wants… but he will fail I won't give in… He's close you have to go before he sees you" Hannah said after brief pauses it was if she were having a conversation in her head.

"Hannah who is there? Who needs to go?" Carver asked.

"You won't break me" Hannah said as her face fell into an expression of determination before she hissed in pain and leaned forward. She started to mumbled something incoherently.

"No, let her continue" Sam said noticing that Carver was going to stop the session. Hannah had leaned back continued mumbling seemingly incoherent words.

"What is she saying?" Sam asked stepping closer to try and make out what Hannah was mumbling.

"Sounds like numbers" Carver said he reached forward and clasped Hannah's wrist counting her pulse and taking mental note of her current condition.

"3, 3, 2. I can't make out the next two numbers then 6, 0 and 0… that's her serial number" Sam said stepping back as Hannah mumbled the number then said.

"O'Neill, Hannah, Second Lieutenant. Serial number…" Hannah mumbled tears slid down her face.

"I'm stopping this" Carver said as he found Hannah had locked herself into her own memory, her pulse rate was disturbingly high for a hypnotic trance. He touched the same shoulder he had held to start the hypnosis session. "It's ok Hannah, let it go" Carver said in a smooth even tone. "Sleep" Carver told Hannah as he stood up and pressed his hand to Hannah's forehead. She stopped mumbling and closed her eyes. Her breathing and pulse rate slowed and evened out.

"I think this proves you can't go ripping through her memories she's deeply traumatized" Heightmeyer said.

"What she mumbled was a coping mechanism. Miss O'Neill was turned into a soldier for the Ori which stands to say they stripped her of Identity to reprogram her. In that memory she was reliving she became overwhelmed. Trust me when we reimplant her memories she will be able to put her traumatic memories into context. She'll be able to appreciate a higher perspective which I think is far more humane than having her relive every traumatic memory that could surface at any time with unpredictable results and emotional damage" Carver said.

Sam nodded finally agreeing with Carver though she remembered what happened with Cameron Mitchell and the device and Daniel's objections to using such a device. Objections she shared. She realised that this was the best route for Hannah. Her behaviour would be far more predictable if she was back to her old self. Unlike now when Hannah's memories could be triggered and without knowing her triggers and what Hannah would do once set off made her a dangerous person to have loose on the base.

"Ok, I agree" Sam said Heightmeyer looked shocked at Sam changing her mind. "But we have to be prepared. Also is there anything that you can do to stabilize her current mental state?" Sam asked.

"So she doesn't repeat the events of two days ago?" Carver asked he still hadn't removed his hand from Hannah's Shoulder or forehead.

"Yes" Sam said.

"Possibly without knowing her triggers it's hard to disable them. But I can try" Carver said.

"Do it" Sam said, Carver nodded and took his hand off Hannah's forehead her eyes opened but they were still glazed over as she was still in the trance state.

"Colonel, this isn't safe" Heightmeyer said in a low voice as she stood next Sam. They watched as Carver spoke to Hannah again.

"Safe is a relative term Dr Heightmeyer and Hannah is a special case" Sam said.

"I think you are blinded by your emotional attachment to Lieutenant O'Neill" Heightmeyer said in a wary tone, she knew she was treading on thin ice.

"Yes I am but I for one am also sick of seeing her in pain" Sam said to Heightmeyer. Carver sat back in his chair and said something Sam missed but it seemed to wake Hannah from her state.

She looked a little confused to find herself sitting down and looked around and then back at Carver.

"I take it you got what you needed?" Hannah asked, Sam noticed that Hannah's left hand twitched lightly. The action reminded her when a dealer dealt cards out at a table with just a slight twist of the wrist. Hannah seemed to be completely unaware of the action.

"Not even close but it's a start. You're free to go and remember to write in the journal" Carver said with a smile.

"Ok" Hannah said.

"And that's all" Carver said.

"Thanks Mr Carver" Hannah said it was strange she remembered Carver talking to her then things just grew fuzzy for like she just spaced out and when her attention returned. She found herself sitting on the couch, she felt lighter like the burden had been lifted it was euphoric. She picked up the tablet computer and looked to Sam and Heightmeyer.

"Is everything ok?" Hannah asked them.

"Of course, enjoy the rest of your day" Hieghtmeyer said.

"Yes come on I'll buy you to Lunch" Sam said.

"You know lunch is free" Hannah told Sam. Sam smiled at Hannah's statement.

"Very true, I just want a private word with Mr Carver. Give me a minute?" Sam asked. Hannah nodded and smiled before stepping out of the closed the door and turned to Carver.

"What did you do to her?" Sam asked.

"I gave her a substitute symptom. I told Miss O'Neill under hypnotic suggestion that whenever she feels fear, high stress or anxiety to twitch her hand instead of acting on trigger like she did with Dr Jackson. Considering we have no clue what other triggers she has or how she would react. I thought it better to have her twitch her hand than have wreak havoc on Atlantis." Carver said looking quite proud of himself.

"Does she know?" Sam asked.

"No, she's completely unaware and won't realise she is twitching. I just hope it won't become annoying for other people but it will be a good indicator of her emotional stress levels and indicate what or whom induce these triggers" Carver said.

"Meatball psychiatry" Heightmeyer scoffed in a disapproving tone.

"Yes, at least the rest will be worked out later when her memories are restored and we are able to work through the issues and help disassociate her emotions from her most traumatic memories. Until then this is the best option and it will only be a couple of days" Carver said to Heightmeyer not even phased by her disapproval.

"Ok anything else I should know?" Sam asked really not wanting to be the mediator of their argument.

"Yes, I will be returning to Earth to escort the Galaran scientist personally to Atlantis." Carver said.

"Of course" Sam said.

"Other than that enjoy the rest of your day Colonel"

"You too Mr Carver" Sam said she didn't like the man. He seemed to be working on his own agenda and it was constantly changing. She left the office hearing Heightmeyer continue her argument with Mr Carver over how they should be treating Hannah. In the end Mr Carver would have his way as he was higher on the IOA food chain than Heightmeyer.

* * *

><p>Hannah was curiously tapping away at her tablet computer before she stopped to look at Sam.<p>

"Good to go?" Hannah asked.

"Yes, what were you doing?"

"Just fiddling with it" Hannah said with a casual shrug.

"So how are you adjusting to Atlantis and everything?" Sam asked wanting to touch base with Hannah as she had been avoiding Hannah for some time except for the occasional meal. She had Hannah's locket and kept asking herself if she should return it to Hannah. It was starting to burn a hole in Sam's pocket. Metaphorically of course as she kept Hannah's locket in her quarters next to a photo of Hannah with O'Neill.

"It's ok, I kind of feel useless being here. But everybody I've met so far has been friendly and happy to see me. I wish I could remember why though" Hannah said with bemused expression.

"Well if Carver has his way it'll be three to four days from now" Sam said.

"Yeah, isn't it great?"

"I guess so. Don't you want to remember in a more natural way?"

"As far as I understand there is nothing natural about me so why should I be left in the dark for months possibly years when I can remember it all in a matter of days?" Hannah asked.

"That is a good point" Sam conceded as they stepped into the transporter.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Someone has a new toy" Demming said as he took a seat next to Hannah. She had been eating her lunch alone since Sam was called away. Hannah knew Laura was on duty and would be eating on board the Daedalus while Sheppard and his team were off world again. She had been enjoying her solitude before Demming sat down making himself at home.

"Yeah I'm supposed to keep a diary of my memories and what not" Hannah said between bites of her sandwich.

"Kind of like 'Dear Diary I remembered how to disassemble P90 blindfolded' or 'Dear Diary, I saw Demming today and remembered that I'm deeply and irrevocably in love with him'?" Demming asked as he picked up the computer.

"Not even close" Hannah said rolling her eyes at him.

"What the dismantling of a P90 or your unrequited love for me?" Demming asked.

"Which do you think?" Hannah asked him dryly. She put her sandwich down to take the tablet computer away from him and placing it under her chair out of the way.

"It has been a while since you have dismantled a P90" Demming said in a contemplative tone.

"Actually it was what three days ago?" Major Lorne said taking up the seat opposite Hannah. Dr Megan Johnson sat on his left side.

"Something like that" Hannah replied giving Demming a smug look.

"How are you two going?" Demming asked Lorne and Megan.

"Well" Megan said as she uncapped her water to take a drink.

"Good, so what are you two talking about?" Lorne asked.

"Demming is under the delusion that I have unrequited love for him" Hannah said, Lorne made a derisive noise before he broke into laughter.

"It's not that funny! I'm a catch any girl would be lucky to have me" Demming said and with that Hannah and Megan laughed at him.

"I'm sure whoever the lucky girl is she is it's not O'Neill" Lorne said as the laughter died down.

"I second that" Hannah said wiping a tear of laughter from her eyes.

"A man can dream" Demming said wistfully as his ego was indestructible.

"I'm going to getting my memories back next week" Hannah announced happily.

"Really?" Megan asked.

"Yep, they have some device which will make me remember" Hannah said.

"Galaran Memory Device. Zelenka was setting it up earlier with the IOA guy in Isolation room 2." Demming said.

"That's the one" Hannah said.

"Don't forget you have to keep a diary" Demming said excitedly. Lorne and Megan exchanged looks as to why Demming looked so happy.

"I have to write about what memories I remember and emotions attached to them for introspection I guess." Hannah said with a shrug.

"Makes sense though I don't get Demming's enjoyment"

"He's being juvenile" Hannah said.

"That was a very Lt O'Neill comment." Demming said looking proudly at Hannah.

"How was the nebula?" Hannah asked Megan wanting to change the subject away from her for once.

"I did my thesis on spectral modelling of nebular-phase supernovae. I have only ever seen Nebulae through a high powered telescope and photos. It was amazing to get up close and personal to one. Well as close as one can get in a puddle jumper" Megan gushed, she blushed lightly for saying too much. She knew that many people were not interested in astronomy or astrophysics.

"Cool, do you have any photos?" Hannah asked,

"Yeah we got a few photos" Lorne said with a smile to Megan.

"I was looking at the database for this galaxy and apparently there is a Stargate near a planet not too far from a Dark Nebula that has a Rogue Planet. I'd really love to check out" Megan said dreamily.

"I'll requisition some puddle jumper time and clear a day to fly you. If you want" Lorne offered. Megan's face lit up at the prospect.

"Definitely, I mean as long as you don't mind" Megan said.

"Not at all, but it won't be for a few days though" Lorne said.

"That's fine" Megan said smiling so widely with excitement and happiness. Hannah couldn't help but smile as it was infectious.

"It's very generous of you to offer your time Major" Hannah said, Lorne's ears went slightly red.

"I don't mind, more flying time its good practise and space phenomena are quite impressive to see in up close and personal" Lorne said playing it cool though he wasn't fooling Demming or Hannah.

"You should ask Dr Branton to take you to the Astrometrics lab" Megan said casually.

"Astrometrics… I knew you were a Voyager fan" Demming teased.

"It's what it is called"

"Dr Branton?" Lorne asked looking at Hannah.

"Yeah Hannah and Dr Branton have been dating if you count one failed movie afternoon where Hannah fell asleep on his shoulder" Demming said.

"Really?" Lorne asked Hannah.

"I had a cold and I was tired and it wasn't a date" Hannah said trying to explain it away, her cheeks were burning with embarrassment.

"You were alone with a man in his office watching movies" Demming said.

"I was alone with Sheppard in my quarters. We aren't dating" Hannah pointed out.

"That's because you and he are well established as friends" Lorne said.

"And I can't be friends with Dr Branton?" Hannah asked.

"You can but it's far more amusing as to why you're blushing. Do you fancy the good doctor?" Demming asked.

"Leave Hannah alone, Dr Branton is a really nice guy and he's coming this way" Megan said rather quickly and awkwardly.

Mike came up to the table with his tray of food after spotting Hannah he couldn't resist sitting at the table.

"Hey, mind if I join you guys?" Mike asked.

"By all means" Lorne said

"Yeah take a seat. Johnson was just regaling up with her and Major Lorne's adventures to the Nebula in our corner of the galaxy." Demming said with a smile. Hannah just gave Mike a closed smile as he sat down at the end of the table near her and Lorne.

"Yeah, I was just telling Hannah about the Astrometrics Lab." Megan said as she took a bite out of her apple.

"If you want to see it we can go after lunch" Mike said to Hannah.

"Ok" Hannah said trying to ignore the smiles of those around her as she and Mike were only adding more material for them to tease her with later. She smiled at Mike before picking up her bottle of water to take a sip she looked around the room taking in all the faces. She was used to people looking at her now but her eyes stopped when they landed on two men having lunch at the far end of the room.

One had sandy blonde hair while the other had dark brown hair all cut in military crew cut. They wore the standard grey Atlantis BDU's with black placards. Something about the way they looked at her unnerved her. She was about to ask Lorne but the two men got up from their table and promptly left.

"Hannah, you alright?" Mike asked as he noticed Hannah had paled slightly and her left hand was twitching. He placed his hand over her twitching one to stop the twitch and to get her attention.

"Yeah fine I thought I saw someone I recognised but I was wrong" She said smiling at him before her eyes wavered over the exit of the mess for a moment before she turned her attention back to the table.

Lorne had not missed Hannah's distraction either as he had looked over to where Hannah had earlier, he made he caught the faces of the two soldiers she had been looking at and made note to look up their personnel files after lunch. He noticed Mike's hand on Hannah's giving her a quick squeeze before removing it to resume eating his lunch with two hands.

Hannah's hand that had been twitching now laid still on the table. Lorne made note to ask Sheppard if he had witnessed the twitch before and what it meant because he had never seen Hannah make such a motion before.

The conversation at the table turned into topics about what was happening over the next few days and idle gossip that wasn't about Hannah for a change. They laughed about Zelenka and McKay's antics and some of the pranks some of the soldiers were playing on the new recruits to the expedition.

* * *

><p>After everyone finished eating they cleared their table and went their separate ways. Demming told Hannah he'd let Sam know she was being supervised by Dr Branton if and when Sam asked. Hannah liked the relaxed attitude to her security, she didn't have a lot of freedom but she didn't feel like a complete prisoner or a wayward child.<p>

Hannah and Mike talked amicably while he guided her to the Astrometrics Lab. They spoke mainly about him and where he grew up, his growing years and education etc. Considering Hannah didn't have much to share except small tidbits she had been told by others it made her slightly jealous he could rattle off his life story with so much ease while she struggled to remember what her favourite ice cream flavour was. She felt like the words were on the tip of her tongue but she couldn't say them.

Mike was an understanding and kind man, she liked how he didn't look disappointed when she couldn't share much of her life story with him. Unlike Sheppard or the others who though they tried to hide it she could tell that they were disappointed she couldn't remember even after prodding her and aiding her with many clues. Or Ronon who just looked pained ever so slightly in her presence like it hurt for him to see her and be in her presence.

"The best hot dog you'll ever eat" Mike said as he had spent 5 minutes describing the last hot dog or 'Chicago dog' as he called it. Something the city was famous for just like New york was famous for having the best slice of pizza.

"It has a lot of toppings" Hannah said.

"That's what makes it so good. My grandfather called it a 'Hot Dog that's been dragged through the Garden' considering all the toppings are vegetables" he said smiling they turned down a hallway and then stopped at two large double doors. "Here we are" he said, he waved a hand over the sensor and the doors opened to a large chamber with no windows.

Hannah stepped into the room and looked around. It was completely devoid of furniture and equipment she turned as the doors closed.

"Relax" Mike said calmly as the lights dimmed out except from where the door sensor was and a touch screen on the wall. Hannah walked over to Mike's side and watched as he typed in what appeared to be a series of co-ordinations and the room changed as a holographic projection appeared behind them. Hannah turned around and marvelled at the sight. In the middle of the room was a scaled down 3D projection of a galaxy at shoulder height and numerous stars around them. It was as if they were standing among the stars.

"Wow, this is amazing" Hannah murmured as she moved the image was not disturbed by her moving into it as she found herself surrounded by stars. She waved her hand through the images it was as if she were a ghost and smiled at Mike who was watching her from the side of the room.

"I think the lab was to teach children" Mike said as he moved to stand by her.

"How so?" she asked.

"It's simplistic in design and interactive as long as you have the ancient gene" Mike told her.

"Interactive?" she asked.

"Watch this" he said Hannah did as she was told and watched as Mike moved to what looked like a blob of little stars and with the movement of his hands enlarged the image. "This is a 4-million-year-old cluster in the Milky Way Galaxy. It has stars on the verge of blowing up as supernovae. It is the home of the brightest star seen in our Galaxy, called the Pistol star." He said as Hannah moved closer to look at the cluster he had enlarged.

"It's beautiful" Hannah said.

"It definitely is. The good part about this lab is that anything and everything you want to learn about or see you can do in this lab. All you need are the co-ordinates or rough idea of what you want to see and the lab will supply it as long as its space related."

"So Black holes, Quasars, Nebulae, clusters, planets…"

"All of the above you can get a space ship's view, the only down side is that the information is a few millennia old. Except for the Pegasus Galaxy those star maps seem to take into account spatial drift and what not" Mike said.

"So we are looking at the Milky Way Galaxy?" Hannah asked. Mike minimised the projection of the cluster.

"Yes a few millennia ago"

"So where is Earth?" Hannah asked she watched as Mike narrowed his eyes in thought and moved a few steps and stopped he enlarged a solar system and pointed to the third planet circling the sun.

"Here" he said.

"How far away are we from them?" Hannah asked.

"About 3.5 million light years give or take a few hundred thousand light years" Mike answered. Hannah felt relieved at that knowing she was as far away as she could possibly be from Earth, Dr Jackson and any other enemies she might have but couldn't remember yet.

"So can you show me the Nebula Dr Johnson and Major Lorne went to?" Hannah asked.

"Definitely" Mike said, he moved to the dimmed console and Hannah watched as the stars completely shifted and blurred changing to a solar system where the planets were about the size of a volleyballs floating in space.

"I don't see why Dr Johnson wouldn't just stay in here and look at the galaxy like this." Hannah said as she followed Mike to a corner of the room where the holographic projection of the Nebula was.

"Because it's one thing to see it in here and another to see it outside" Mike assured her. He watched her eyes light up at the sight of the Nebula. Marvelling in wonder and the beauty, he enjoyed how she absorbed in the view before her. He had been warned by Demming not to get cosy with Hannah as she was unofficially Ronon's woman.

But Mike didn't really care, he wasn't blind to Hannah's good looks and svelte form or her smile and how demure she was because he had noticed but he wasn't going to make any moves on her for several reasons and none of them were about who she belonged to. He just wanted to be her friend, she actually reminded him sometimes of Dr Weir. He had noticed since their first meeting she seemed to hold a heavy weight on her shoulders as she tried to live up to expectations and recover her memories all the while trying to adapt to her life on Atlantis.

She was struggling and he noticed how she seemed to relax in his presence more easily than the others he had accounted it to their lack of history. He enjoyed her company and cared about her even though he knew so little about her.

It annoyed him that people would think he'd take advantage of a woman who had memory loss but let it slide off his back as there was nothing he could do to change their minds.

"It's a reflection nebula. It is a cloud of gas and dust which does not create its own light, but instead shines by reflecting the light from nearby stars. The brightest reflection nebulas are places where new stars are being formed. Here the gas and dust is thick and shines by the light of new, bright stars. Sometimes the gas is so thick that the new stars cannot be seen." He told her.

"I take back what I said earlier. This would be amazing to see up close and personal in a puddle jumper" Hannah said smiling at him.

"Maybe you can convince Sheppard to take you"

"I doubt he'd want to be couped up in a puddle jumper just to go stargazing" Hannah quipped chuckling at the thought of him being bored out his head, she just knew as soon as they got there he would spend five seconds admiring the view and then pursing his lips and making noise about turning the ship around to get back home.

"Never know until you ask. I'd take you myself but I haven't got my puddle jumper licence yet" he told her.

"I'm happy to settle with this" Hannah said.

* * *

><p>Hours later, Hannah and Mike walked into the Mess Hall laughing to themselves. They had spent a few hours star gazing and then as planned headed to the indoor rock climbing facilities for a couple of hours of climbing. Mike was an expert while Hannah was a complete novice for the first couple of climbs until she got the hang of it. The main problem she had was her muscles were still a little weak from her cold. But they still managed to have an amazing afternoon. They then went separate ways to shower before meeting up and heading to go and have dinner.<p>

"I've been a pretty good climber since I was a kid. You know started small with stairs, furniture what not. Then as I got bigger play grounds and then trees-" Mike said as they headed to the line for dinner.

"Then walls with putty handles" Hannah finished for him.

"Yes, it's a skill" he said.

"Well as entertaining as your skill is. My arms hurt and my legs feel like jelly" Hannah whined before pouting. Mike smiled in a good natured fashion as she knew she wasn't truly complaining.

"I told you to use your legs more" Mike said as he handed her a tray letting her go first.

"Thanks for the advice. But now all us are like you Monkey man, you climbed that wall like it was nothing and then just hanging out while I caught up" Hannah said as she piled her tray with vegetables, rice and some meat. She picked up a chocolate pudding cup and placed on her tray.

"You'll get faster when your cold is finished and better rested" he told her as he followed suit with his food choices but picking up an apple for dessert instead of a chocolate cup.

"I don't know you have long legs and arms" Hannah commented as they moved to pick up bottles of water and a couple cups of coffee.

"We'll see" Mike said spotting an empty table by the balcony. He directed her to the table while they continued talking.

"Thank you for taking me rock climbing" Hannah said, she wanted to say it before she forgot. She sat down at the table opposite him and looked out on Atlantis the sun was slowly setting.

"You're welcome to join me tomorrow afternoon if you're not too sore" Mike said as he poured a couple of sugars and milk into his coffee and stirred it.

"Really? You're not sick of me?" Hannah asked as she separated her knife and fork. She placed the knife to the side and ate with her fork as all the food was bite size.

"Yeah, I had fun today and frankly it's better rock climbing with company than alone. Plus you were cute looking stranded hanging off the wall getting smart with Lt. Bergman" Mike said laughing at the memory.

The Marine Lt Bergman who had been at the bottom as her partner had encouraged her all the way up the wall while Mike was climbing beside her. She had stopped two thirds up the tallest wall for a break and when Bergman asked 'what are you waiting for? An invitation?' She had replied 'Actually yes I was and I was hoping it would come with a bottle of Evian.'. It had been funny at the time as it soon became a competition between those not climbing or partnered. Who could get water to her until a Major came in and snapped at the lower ranks for bad conduct and also using poor technique in throwing a bottle of water.

"I was thirsty and hardly stranded" Hannah said, as she laughed, the Major had made the throw and Hannah caught the water bottle and downed half before finishing the rest of the wall.

"So, 3pm? It's pretty empty then considering most of the military personnel fill it up in the morning until lunch and then after dinner" Mike said as he started to eat his dinner.

"Civilians don't use it?" Hannah asked.

"The other scientists aren't big on exercising and if they do it's not a spectator sport like rock climbing. Atlantis is more about intellectual pursuits for them" Mike said between bites.

"Fair enough" Hannah said as she took a sip of her black coffee enjoying the flavour. She had been having a craving for coffee ever since she smelt it in the Mess her first day back. She looked at the coffee "Mmm this is heaven" She said taking another sip.

"Coffee fan?" he asked looking at her serene face at drinking the black coffee.

"Definitely" Hannah mused as she placed her mug down to eat her dinner. He chuckled shaking his head.

"What?" she asked.

"Have you tried it with milk? Or sugar?" he asked.

"No. Why? Should I try it that way?" She asked.

"Not unless you want to. I just thought it curious how you accept that you like your coffee black with no sugar without even trying other variations." He said. Hannah contemplated his line of thinking she hadn't thought to try it with milk or any other variations.

"That's a good point. After dinner we are going to explore this" Hannah said.

* * *

><p>"What is going on at that table?" Sheppard asked as he and Ronon finished piling their trays with food for dinner. Ronon looked to see Hannah with Dr Branton sitting at a table by the balcony. There were about 8 cups on their table and Hannah pulled a face of disgust as she placed one of the cups down. Dr Branton laughed with her as she made some comment. The scene made Ronon's stomach twist in knots as he found he was jealous and angry with himself that it should be him and not Branton over there making her smile and laugh doing whatever it was they were doing.<p>

"Let's go over" Ronon said.

"I don't think we should-" Sheppard stopped as Ronon had walked away from him not heeding his advice making his way to Hannah and Dr Branton. Sheppard sighed in resignation and followed Ronon knowing his lunch was going to be interesting to say the least.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Oh that's vile! I don't think I need to drink anymore variations of coffee to know I like it black, no sugar and no milk. Whether it be skim, soy, almond, dehydrated" Hannah said as she picked up her water to wash out the taste of almond milk in coffee.

"You haven't even touched full cream milk with two sugars" Mike said with a smile as he held out the last cup.

"Hey what's going on here?" Sheppard asked as Ronon sat himself down next to Hannah. Sheppard sat next to Mike who still held out the cup.

"An experiment" Mike said, neither disturbed nor annoyed by their arrival while Ronon placed an arm around the back of Hannah's chair sizing Mike up.

"I'm trying every variation of coffee available to see how I actually like my coffee."

"Any winners?" Sheppard asked as he looked at all the cups on the table. He was glad most of them were still full he really didn't need Hannah's kidneys kicking in or her experiencing caffeine high for the next twelve hours with nothing to do. Well that wasn't true Sheppard was sure Ronon could find a few ways of exhausting her. But she was getting over a cold he didn't want her to relapse.

"Black with no sugar" Hannah said as she reluctantly took the cup of coffee from Mike's hand. She took a sip and made a face of distaste as she handed it back to Mike.

"I think it's confirmed" Sheppard said.

"You now know without a doubt its black, no sugar" Mike said laughing as Hannah skulled some water to wash away the sweet milky coffee taste in her mouth.

"I knew that before the other coffees" Hannah told him.

"But now it's conclusive" Mike replied as he finished the last coffee she rejected.

"True, so how was your day?" Hannah asked looking between Ronon and Sheppard. Ronon didn't remove his arm from around Hannah's chair as he ate his dinner.

Hannah was also leaning back she could feel the heat from Ronon's arm on the exposed skin that her tank top didn't cover.

"It was the usual, ancient ruins and a village. Friendly people" Sheppard said the fact he didn't go into detail told her that he couldn't be bothered to elaborate. While Ronon remained his frustratingly quiet self. "What about you two?" Sheppard asked.

"Umm I saw Carver today and he wants to proceed with his treatment strategy three days from now I may have all my memories back" Hannah said with a happy expression she exhaled sinking into her chair relaxing at the thought.

"That's good." Sheppard said with a smile.

"Yeah, I think so too" Hannah said her gaze darted to Ronon then back at Sheppard as she gauged their reactions. Sheppard seemed to be pleased while Ronon tensed for a moment but also look pleased and almost relieved. She felt slightly saddened that it wasn't just enough that she was back healthy and whole. She squashed her inadequacy issues and smiled at Mike across the table.

"Then I met up with Hannah at Lunch and we went to the Astrometric lab for a bit and then went rock climbing before coming here" Mike said finishing up for her.

"It was fun, I'm looking forward to tomorrow" Hannah said to him as she picked up her chocolate pudding, pulling the lid of and picking up her spoon to indulge in her dessert.

"What are you doing in the morning?" Sheppard asked.

"Nothing. Why?" Hannah asked said as she ate some pudding smiling as she really loved chocolate.

"Well Ronon and I were thinking about sparring you're welcome to join us" Sheppard said as he tried to assess what kind of relationship she and Mike had while watching Ronon's body language. He didn't think Ronon had to worry about Mike as Hannah was darting more looks at the Satedan than the good doctor.

"Sure what time?" Hannah asked she seemed completely oblivious to the undercurrent of Ronon's jealousy and territorial behaviour toward her. Also Mike's inquiring eyes as he looked slightly amused by it yet slightly protective of Hannah in the current setting. Sheppard wondered what Mike was up to.

"Bout 9am if that doesn't conflict with Dr Branton and your rock climbing time" Sheppard said.

"No, that works we are going in the afternoon" Hannah said before she ate another spoonful of pudding.

* * *

><p>The next morning,<p>

Ronon and Hannah were covered in sweat and bruises as they had been sparring with each other for the last half an hour. Sheppard was observing and taking bets with a few other soldiers who decided to watch instead of practise. So far they were playing best out of five and they were even. Whoever was on the back first would win. It was looking like it would be Ronon on his back as Hannah's moves were unpredictable hence why Sheppard and the Marines had their money on Hannah while the Air force guys in the room had it on Ronon.

The two on the mat were circling one another waiting for the other to make their move.

"Lieutenant O'Neill, is that you?" a voice asked.

Hannah barely missed the punch Ronon threw as she was distracted by her name being called out. Ronon took a step back to see the cause of Hannah's distraction to find Captain Wallace and Lt Fisk. Captain Wallace looked completely surprised at seeing Hannah and pleased by it.

Ronon stopped the spar to let the two reunite as he wondered what Hannah would have in common with Captain Wallace. He moved to the side forfeiting the fight not caring about the groans from some of the men as they lost money on the bet.

"Yes?" Hannah asked as she stood up straighter she recognised them from the mess hall. The two men shared looks with one another as if having some kind of telepathic conversation. It made her feel anxious as she didn't like the way the dark haired man looked her over.

"When did you get back?" he asked.

"I guess you haven't heard that I have amnesia. So you'll excuse me if I don't remember who you are" Hannah said. The two men pretended to look shocked and masked as they stepped forward. She moved off the mat so others could use the space.

"No, sorry to hear that I'm Captain Wallace and this is Lt Fisk. We served at the same base a year or more ago." Captain Wallace said as he gestured to Lt Fisk.

"At the SGC" Hannah said before taking a sip of water from the bottle Ronon handed her.

"Yeah" Wallace said with a smile. "Hey would you like to spar?" he asked looking excited by the notion.

"I'm pretty beat from sparring with Ronon" Hannah said making an excuse. Ronon who had been watching the exchange carefully noticed Hannah's left hand twitching. He then looked at Wallace. He wondered where she developed the twitch and what it meant.

"Come on just one round? It'll be like the old days" Wallace said.

"Perhaps another day?" Hannah said wanting nothing more than to sit down.

"I wish but I'm going off world tomorrow. One round please" he begged. Hannah looked to Sheppard hoping he would save her but found he was distracted talking to another soldier she then looked to Ronon who gave her an unreadable expression.

"Fine, one round and that's it" Hannah said she handed her bottle water to Ronon before moving to the mats that had been cleared.

They dropped into their individual fighting stance. In less than two seconds the spar started Wallace came at her throwing punch after punch. She blocked the first few punches and on the last punch she parried his arm and grabbed his wrist and was about to lock it and throw him to the ground except he counter moved locking their wrists together.

They pushed and pulled in the lock, Hannah twisted her right arm and kicked out his left knee. He stumbled and in his unbalanced posture she tried to force him down by sheer force of strength. Sadly her lack of energy didn't help as he was able to push up to his feet. They struggled until Hannah's right hand slipped from the lock. She drove her free fist into his face and then pulled him forward kneeing him in the torso before she flipped him onto his back on the floor.

Wallace seemed unaffected as he rolled back to his feet and ran straight at Hannah making up the space she had put between them.

He came at her throwing kicks and punches. She blocked and parried his sloppy form with ease which frustrated him to no end. It wasn't until she blocked a punch with her forearm Wallace took advantage of her defence move and grabbed her right forearm. Before Hannah had time to compute the move he threw her onto her back hard and pressed his knee into her sternum. She struggled to breathe as the wind was knocked out her from hitting the ground and with his knee on her chest she could breathe. He moved to punch with his right fist but stopped looking down at her he smiled victoriously.

"I win" he said as he let go of her wrist, he pressed heavily into her sternum as he lifted off making Hannah groan in pain. Hannah rolled onto her side and got to her feet wincing as her chest and right forearm and wrist throbbed painfully.

"Looks like you need more practise before hitting the big leagues again Lieutenant" Wallace said his words riled her as she felt the desire to claw his eyes out. But she decided it was best not to ruin her current situation over one snide man.

"I knocked you to the floor first." Hannah told him just because she couldn't help herself.

"But you let me go. Follow through has always been where you failed in sparring" Wallace told her in a condescending tone.

"I'll remember that" Hannah said dryly as she rubbed her injured wrist. Wallace smiled at her and nodded before motioning to Fisk the two started to spar. Hannah turned to Ronon and Sheppard.

"You ok?" Sheppard asked. He wasn't sure what had just happened as he had been talking to Major Leeds but he didn't like the way Wallace had spoken to Hannah. He also could see Hannah's left hand was twitching and remembered what Sam had told him. It was weird how she was completely unaware of the motion. He wondered if she didn't have the twitch what she really would have done.

"Yeah, I'm going to go hit the showers and head back to my quarters and lie down for a bit" Hannah said as she rubbed her chest gingerly.

"Ok, I'll pick you up for lunch at 12pm" Sheppard told her, he could see she was heavily fatigued and it wasn't even 10:30 yet. Hannah nodded walking out of the gym.

"I wasn't watching what happened?" Sheppard asked Ronon.

"They sparred and he got a little rough but backed off before I felt the need to step in" Ronon said he wanted to deck the guy for playing unfairly. Hannah had finished the round and Wallace decided to continue not only that he used a fairly dangerous manoeuvre to get Hannah on her back. Ronon had been ready to pull the man off Hannah before he punched but Wallace stopped one his own accord and backed off. He had tip toed a fine line.

"Ok, so when are you going to talk to Hannah?"

"About what?'

"You know what I'm talking about. Or are you waiting until they do that memory recovery in a few days?"

"It's better to wait"

"Ok, but if it doesn't work you have to make some semblance of a friendship with the woman because the silent man routine is getting old. Some of us would kill to have what you two had. I don't know why you keep your distance it only confuses her and trust me you don't want her confused because that leads to frustration and then anger and trust me you don't want to see her angry" Sheppard said.

* * *

><p>Hannah enjoyed her walk back to her quarters without someone following her and making casual conversation. When she reached her quarters she took a long hot shower. She regretted her decision on the shower because when she stepped out she had a huge red and blue bruise forming on her wrist in the shape of a hand print and bruises on her lower ribs. She changed into fresh t-shirt and green camouflage cargo pants before gingerly laid down on the couch groaning in pain as her chest complained from the movement. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep once her eyes were closed.<p>

She felt like she had only just closed her eyes when the door chimed. Hannah rolled out of the lounge and stood up not bothering to stretch as her chest was killing her with every breath. She opened the door and found Sheppard standing there looking fresh as a daisy and smiling at her.

"Hungry?" he asked.

"Yes, just give me a minute" Hannah said she turned to leave but Sheppard pulled her hand up stopping her as he inspected her right forearm which had swollen up and now was sore and angry as it throbbed in pain from even the smallest of movements.

"Wallace?" Sheppard queried.

"His last manoeuvre caught me by surprise. He has a firm grip" Hannah said trying to play it casual.

"You should see Keller and ice it" Sheppard told her.

"It's just a bruise" Hannah said and to prove her point she wiggled her fingers. She didn't know how she managed to keep a straight face as her muscles in that arm pained at the movement.

"Fine no Keller but we are icing it at Lunch" Sheppard said as he released her hand. She moved to her quarters and pulled on a black jumper with a shawl collar and pulled the sleeves down to cover half of her hands.

"Let's go" Hannah said.

* * *

><p>"Please do us all a favor Demming and stop acting like you're God's gift to women. The gift was the orgasm and you're just one of the many messenger boys" Laura said rolling her eyes as Demming was telling them in detail his latest conquest. Or attempted conquest as his target had shot him down and slapped him. They had finished their food about 15 minutes ago and were now digesting and talking and were actually enjoying the conversation until digressed into being about Demming nonexistent love life which was surprising considering how good looking and fit he was.<p>

Megan choked on the water she had just swigged. Laura smacked her on the back to help her clear her throat while Hannah and Sheppard laughed.

"I'll have to remember that line. It could be reversed engineered into a pickup line" Demming said.

"A really tragic one" Megan said before she covered her mouth to cough again.

"I think you need to dial down the sleazebag and dial up the decency. Otherwise you will never get laid" Laura told him.

"We'll see"

"Cocky, but I've found in my experience those who go on and on about sex are usually the ones not getting laid" Laura told him.

"Can we talk about something else?" Hannah asked wincing as she leaned back in her chair.

"You ok?" Laura asked Hannah as she noticed her friend wince as she sat back.

"Yep I was sparring this morning and my muscles are complaining from the exertion." Hannah explained really not wanting anyone's attention.

"You have to take it easy" Laura told her.

"I know, rookie mistake" Hannah said with a shrug.

"Well it doesn't matter getting back into shape always hurts" Laura said.

"Where's Ronon?" Hannah asked Sheppard.

"I have no idea" Sheppard said with a shrug. He was actually wondering the same thing. He was probably hiding and sulking somewhere. The man kept changing his mind about Hannah and it was frustrating for everyone involved. He wished he knew what was going on in Ronon's head.

"Fair enough" Hannah said looking slightly disappointed. She rubbed her right arm as it throbbed the movement caught Sheppard's eye as he had forgotten about the bruise. He was about to say something or go get an ice bag but thought against it as Laura would make a big production of it. Something he wanted to avoid and he knew Hannah felt the same way. They had all become protective in their own way toward Hannah.

"So I guess you won't be rock climbing this afternoon" Sheppard said.

"Oh yeah I forgot" Hannah said cringing as she knew she wouldn't be able to climb a wall with her wrist. Mike would understand but she wished she had a radio to contact him.

"What's this?" Laura asked.

"I was supposed to go rock climbing with Mike Branton this afternoon but I'm pretty beat" Hannah said to Laura.

"Well I'm heading to office after lunch to ask him about an extension for a report. I can let him know" Megan offered.

"Would you mind if I joined you? I'd prefer to tell him myself in person" Hannah said she wanted to tell Mike herself so he didn't think she was blowing him off.

"Yeah sure, if you're finished we can go now" Megan said smiling as she wanted to leave the table before Laura and Demming broke into another bickering match.

"Ok" Hannah said she and Megan picked up their trays and looked to the occupants. "See you all at dinner!" Hannah said before leaving.

* * *

><p>Hannah and Megan dropped off their trays before exiting the mess hall before heading to the nearest transporter. "Do you think Demming and Laura will ever just get a room so we can all have a meal without them bickering?" Megan asked.<p>

"I don't know, Laura really likes bickering" Hannah said before breaking out into a smile. The doors to transporter opened and the two woman stepped in Megan pressed a point on the map the doors were about to close when a hand stopped the door. The doors opened and Captain Wallace and Lt Fisk stepped into the transporter.

"Oh sorry ladies"

"Not a problem" Megan said a little perturbed as she had to move back to make room. When the doors reopened it reset the system so it meant Megan and Hannah would have to wait for the soldiers to go first. Hannah stepped back against the wall her left hand was twitching she kept her eyes to the floor.

"Oh excuse me" Wallace said pressing the map. The doors closed and light filled the room as they were transported. The doors opened and before Megan could press the map she and Hannah were hauled out of the transporter.

"Hey!" Megan protested as the blonde haired man pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth with his hand.

"Calm down we just want a conversation with O'Neill" he whispered in her ear. Megan struggled but it was futile as the soldier had a death grip on her.

Wallace pulled Hannah out of the Transporter he wasn't so gentle. He rammed her up against the wall opposite the transporter his hand wrapped around her neck tight. Hannah choked for air and grabbed at his hands desperate for air.

"Hey O'Neill, such a long time since we caught up" Wallace said as he pinned her to the wall with his body. He had pressed a location of the city that marked a no go zone due to water damage and mildew issues. It made a good place for an intimate conversation.

"Let me go" she choked out.

"Tell me why did you come back?"

"I don't know"

"Please, it makes me sick that you come back here and are treated like a princess when you are nothing but genetic filth, a traitor and mass murderer." He spat at her, Hannah looked at him confused.

"I don't believe you"

"Oh no! they didn't tell you?" He asked in mock shock. He squeezed his hand tighter "You killed a lot of people and some of them were my friends. Do you know what I'm going to do to you when Sheppard and the others are done?" He whispered tears ran down Hannah's face as she couldn't understand why she wasn't fighting back. She knew how to fight and yet she was powerless.

Megan watched as the Dark haired soldier held Hannah by the throat choking her at first but he loosened his grip and leaned in. He whispered to Hannah whatever he was saying it was clearly upsetting Hannah as tears fell down her face. Megan wanted to kick and scream for them to let them go but it was useless she had nowhere near strong enough to take one man on and she didn't know any forms of self defence. She was helpless. What the hell were they up to and what did Hannah have to do with it.

She squirmed as the soldier punched Hannah in the ribs and dropped her to the ground. Hannah gasped for air but didn't move. The soldier stepped over her and wiped his hands on his pants like he had touched something filthy and walked up to Megan who squirmed.

"You Doctor have been very patient. Which I appreciate" He said Megan glared at him. "But see here's the deal, you tell anyone what happened here and I will make sure you meet a very unfortunate ending. Do we have an understanding?" he asked in a deadly tone. The promise his eyes and his tone chilled Megan to the bone zapping any anger she had and replacing it with fear. She nodded for the sake of hers and Hannah's safety hoping if she agreed they would let them go.

"Good, let's go. I need to wash my hands" he said. Megan dropped unceremoniously to the floor. Her first thoughts were to her new friend Hannah. She didn't move until the men were gone and scrambled over to Hannah's side. She had rolled onto her back and was taking slow shallow breaths.

"Hannah are you ok?" Megan asked she mentally slapped herself for asking a stupid question of course she wasn't ok.

"Yeah, I think I have a couple cracked ribs" Hannah said biting her bottom lip scrunching her face in pain as she hissed in pain trying to sit up. Megan quickly stood up and offered her hands to help her up.

"We need to get you to Keller" Megan said.

"No, she'll tell Sheppard and they can't know" Hannah said as she got to her feet with the help of Megan. She clutched her side and hunched over and exhaled slowly.

"What's the big deal?"

"I don't know. Please promise me you won't tell anyone. He'll tell them I made it up and I'm mentally unstable and they will throw me into a cell and throw away the key. Promise me it's best to stay quiet. Please do this for me and I won't ask anything more of you" Hannah begged she looked so desperate it made Megan saddened that the woman could not catch a break. She knew they should tell someone. It wasn't right no one should threaten their fellow soldier or co-workers. Megan threw her hands up in resignation.

"Ok I promise" Megan told her, she wrung her hands as her nerves were wrought from the whole experience. Hannah looked relieved which made Megan feel slightly better. "Ok we need to calm down and regroup" Megan said before taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly.

"I still have to talk to Mike" Hannah said as she wiped the tears from her face.

"Right, you should take your hair down to cover your neck and after that I'll get you some ice. That's what you do for bruises right?" Megan asked. Hannah pulled her hair out of the ponytail it had been in and quickly flattened it and swung the hair around to the front of her making sure it looked neat.

"Am I good?" Hannah asked. Megan nodded as Hannah's hair covered most her neck except for a thin line down the middle but it's not like anyone would notice right away.

"Ok let's go" Megan said wanting to leave this section of the city as quickly as possible.

**TBC**


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N: Sorry for the long wait I've been very busy with my final year of Uni! :-S Anyways thank you for the reviews, favs, and alerts! Enjoy and I'll hopefully update sooner._

* * *

><p>Chapter 18<p>

Hannah and Megan were silent the whole way to Mike Branton's office. When they knocked he looked up from his computer smiling at their appearance. It soon turned into an expression of concern as Hannah's face was showing all the classic signs of crying.

"Hey you ok Hannah?" Mike asked.

"Yeah we stopped by the hydroponics lab because Dr Brown said the blue flowers were blooming and discovered that Hannah is allergic to something in there. Should have seen it within seconds of walking in she was sneezing and doing the waterworks" Megan lied, inwardly shocked at how smooth and fast the lie fell from her lips.

"Did you see Keller for some Antihistamines?" Mike asked. Megan and Hannah exchanged looks before Hannah responded.

"No we saw no point as it cleared up once I left the room" Hannah said with a shrug she moved to the side of the room so she didn't feel like she was being completely intrusive.

"Oh ok so tell me what do I owe the pleasure?" Mike asked as he relaxed somewhat.

"I'm here to ask for an extension for my report" Megan said holding her hand up.

"How long?" Mike asked warily.

"Umm 24 hours" Megan asked.

"Done, anything else?" Mike asked her with a smile.

"Yes, Major Lorne has requisition a puddle jumper for me. So permission to go check out a dark nebula with a rogue planet after my report is handed in?" Megan asked.

"Granted" Mike said.

"Ok I'm done. Hannah my office is just four doors down on the left from here. I'll be there when you're done here" Megan said with a tight smile.

"Of course. I only be a few minutes" Hannah said. Megan gave a small wave and left the two alone.

"State the nature of your business" he said with smile as he folded his arms across his chest looking authoritative in his posture.

"I've got some bad news" Hannah said reluctantly, she wished she had never fought with Wallace and his last assault was still fresh in her mind her eyes began to tear.

"Hannah?" Mike said he moved to her side and tilted his head to one side concern tinted his voice.

"I can't rock climb this afternoon" she said blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. She was being way too serious for backing out of a casual outing.

"Is everything ok?" he asked, Hannah pulled up her right sleeve and showed him her bruised wrist.

"I'm fine but sparring was a little rougher than I anticipated" Hannah chagrined.

"That is one impressive bruise" Mike commented.

"I'm sorry"

"Don't be it's not your fault. Anyway we can rock climb when your wrist is better. Are you sure you're ok?" He asked as he saw her hands were shaking. Hannah nodded quickly and stuck her hands in her pockets.

"Yes, I think I just overextended myself. I should drop by Megan's office and then might go lie down for the afternoon" Hannah said with a shrug not making eye contact.

"Would it be ok if I drop by around 4? I thought I'd return the book I borrowed" He said.

"Sure" Hannah answered.

"Good, now you better go and check in with Megan, get some rest and I'll see you later" Mike said giving her a cue to leave as she seemed anxious to leave he knew it wasn't him. Something about the way Megan and Hannah exchanged looks, their body language spoke volumes that something else was going on. If either one of them wanted to let him in on the secret they would. Until then it was none of his business.

* * *

><p>Hannah stepped into Megan's office and closed the door. Megan had her head in her hands when Hannah sat down.<p>

"I'm sorry you are messed up in this"

"What do they want from you? What was it all about?"

"I can't answer that"

"Can't answer? I watched a man strangle you and you aren't going to tell me why?"

"I don't know Ok? I know what they tell me but none of it makes sense. I'm sorry!" Hannah shouted at her as she flopped down into a guest chair in the room.

Megan was about to say something when a knock sounded at the door. "Come in!" she shouted, the door slid open and Lorne stepped in he smiled at Megan and immediately felt the tense atmosphere in the room.

"This a bad time?" he asked.

"No, I was just leaving" Hannah said standing up, Lorne moved out the way so Hannah could pass.

"Ok" Lorne said as Hannah gave a tight smile before walking out of the office leaving him alone with Megan. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Megan the woman was acting incredibly jumpy which was out of character for her. "You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, fine. What's up?" Megan asked.

* * *

><p>Hannah rushed back to her quarters, once the doors closed behind her. She slid to the floor and pressed her hands to her face and allowed the tears to fall. She began to sob as every word Captain Wallace said to her cut through her. After a few minutes she calmed down feeling better for the release, she told herself she had to move. She couldn't have Laura find her bawling her eyes out on the floor. She would ask questions, questions Hannah didn't want to answer.<p>

She pushed to her feet and decided she needed to relax. She walked to her room and grabbed her yoga pants and a loose off the shoulder top. She looked in the mirror and saw the bruises forming on her neck and quickly exchanged the loose top for a turtle neck top with long sleeves. She picked up the clothes and went to the bathroom to have a quick shower.

Hannah had trouble taking off her clothes as her body was covered in bruises she tenderly touched her ribs she was pretty sure they were cracked. She tied up her hair and inspected her neck feeling fresh tears start all over again. She took a deep breath trying to not cry as she turned on the shower.

After a quick shower and changing into her more comfortable clothes Hannah moved to the long couch in the living area and laid down. It only took a few seconds before she dozed off into fitful sleep.

She didn't wake up until she felt a hand on her face. She jerked awake only for the pain from her ribs to stop her mid movement and sunk back onto the couch at Mike's presence above her.

"Hey, sorry I startled you" Mike said.

"How did you get in here?" Hannah asked as she brushed her hair out of her face. Her heart was pounding at the wake up.

"I came by to drop off the book and when you didn't answer I got worried, so I opened the door with the bypass" Mike said.

"Oh, sorry I was sleeping"

"I know, you ok?" Mike asked.

"I'm just tired" Hannah said rubbing her face with her hands wiping away the fatigue.

"I ask because you look pale and as if you're in pain. You can tell me anything you know" Mike said.

"I got my ass handed to me today. I'll be fine" Hannah said as she pushed up from the lounge to sit up. She winced as her ribs pained from the movement.

"Why don't I grab us some sandwiches and drinks for dinner and we kick it here?" Mike suggested.

"I'd like that" Hannah said with a weak smile, she didn't want to be alone but she also didn't want to be surrounded by a crowd.

Mike stood up and handed her the book he had borrowed. "I'll be back" he said and with that he disappeared.

When Hannah heard the door close she lifted her top and whimpered at the pain. The bruises had darkened and were very painful. She pulled the top back down and sat up straighter in the hopes of lessening the pain. When it didn't she reclaimed her previous position of lying down and sighed as she felt better for the move.

* * *

><p>About ten minutes later, Mike reappeared with knapsack filled to the brim. Hannah watched in amusement as he unpacked four sandwiches, four bottles of water and two apples a long with chocolate pudding cups and fruit cups and biscuits.<p>

"Sure we have enough?" Hannah asked dryly.

"Well I didn't know how hungry you'd be. Here I got you some Tylenol for the aches and pains" He said as he unscrewed the top of the small bottle and gave her two tablets.

"Thanks" Hannah said as she took the two tablets and swallowed them with water.

"Sandwich"

"It's a little early… hand me a chocolate pudding" Hannah said with a smile. Mike handed her the cup and a spoon.

"What movie would you like to watch?" Mike asked.

"Surprise me"

"Princess Bride it is" he said as he turned on the holographic screen in the room and got the movie started. When it started to play he moved to the couch and lifted Hannah's legs up and took a seat and laying her legs over his getting comfortable.

They watched a couple movies and Hannah sat up to eat sandwiches and they talked for a bit before putting on the next movie. She remembered dozing off in the middle of the movie. She had fallen into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p>Laura finished a long shift on the Daedalus and was ready to put her feet up and have a beer. She opened the door to the apartment she didn't bother announcing herself as she figured Hannah would be asleep and lord knew the girl needed it. She dropped her bag on her bed then moved to the lounge room and stopped at the sight on the couch.<p>

"What the?" Laura mouthed silently as she had not expected to find her best friend lying on top of Mike Branton. Of all the men on Atlantis it should have been Ronon, but then Mike had been sniffing around Hannah and the two got along and Hannah seemed far more relaxed in his presence but still. It annoyed Laura that Ronon had been playing hot and cold with Hannah. A smile spread across Laura's lips as Mike and Hannah did look cute together, she quietly snuck out the living room to her bedroom decided it would be best to let them sleep and save her questions and teasing for tomorrow.

* * *

><p>The following morning, Hannah awoke as her chest burned with pain she tried to shift but found herself being held by two strong arms. She shifted again and turned to face Mike.<p>

"Mike" Hannah said "Mike?" she was about to poke him when he slowly woke up.

Mike roused from sleep and looked straight at her "Oh sorry" he said still half asleep as he released his hold on her. He pushed himself up off the couch and rubbed his face as he woke up and looked around for moment. Hannah shifted so she was lying on her back and bent her legs at the knees getting comfortable.

"We slept through the last movie" Mike commented with a smile. Hannah felt her cheeks warm as she returned the smile.

"Yeah, thanks for staying with me last night" Hannah said, she knew the only reason she had kept it together was that he had unknowingly become her source of comfort which she was grateful for.

"Anytime, you know you talk in your sleep" Mike said with a smile, Hannah paled.

"I do not" She stated.

"You do! I wouldn't lie to you"

"What was I saying?"

"Something about needing more Mai tais and Maui being beautiful" He said as he wasn't sure what the reference of the memory was but smiled none the less.

"I wish I could help you out but I'm drawing a blank" Hannah said as she had no clue herself.

"Well Mai tais are pretty tasty but I wouldn't know about Maui never been" Mike said.

"Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to tell you after my procedure" Hannah told him, she ran a hand through her hair and took a shallow and easy breath. The idea she was closer to remembering who she was and her life was exciting and freeing.

"I look forward to it but for now I will leave you as I should get back to my quarters and shower before going to work" he said as he looked at his watch.

"I'll see you out" Hannah said as she started to get up he stopped her.

"No, you relax I doubt I'll get lost in the few metres to the door" Mike told her, Hannah relaxed back and nodded.

"I'll catch you later at dinner?" he asked.

"Yes and thank you again for last night" Hannah said she watched him leave from the couch and once the doors closed. She laid on the couch looking at ceiling not feeling any need or want to move. She didn't know how long she had been lying there until Laura came out of her room.

"Good Morning" Laura said as she flopped down on the couch and yawned.

"Yeah it's ok"

"Just ok? Where's Dr Branton?"

"He left a couple minutes ago"

"You two looked very cosy on the couch when I came in last night" Laura drawled still waking up.

"We fell asleep watching a movie" Hannah said as she ran a hand through her hair.

"You two were spooning on the couch while watching a movie?" Laura questioned.

"No that just happened on its own and anyway we are just friends" Hannah told her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes"

"Ok, so what's your plan for today?"

"I'm going to stay in today" Hannah said firmly, Laura looked surprised at the news. She of course had to be on duty in an hour.

"Really? Ronon and Sheppard aren't going to whisk you away somewhere?" Laura asked.

"Nope and even if they tried they would fail. I'm staying in today" Hannah said firmly. Hannah really just wanted to hide from Atlantis and everyone until she had all her memories.

"You ok?" Laura asked looking at her with concern.

"Yeah, I'm just tired of being surrounded by everyone and being asked if I remember things when I don't. I just need a day to myself" Hannah said.

"Makes sense. Well I'm going to shower and then I am off to work" Laura said as she patted Hannah's knee. She stood up and stretched her arms above her head. "I'll see you at 6 tonight when I get off" Laura said.

"Ok" Hannah said she laid down fully on the couch relaxing, she closed her eyes as she heard the shower start.

* * *

><p>Laura left an hour later leaving Hannah by herself. She stayed on the couch not wanting to move. She spent most of her day asleep and trying not to think about what Wallace had said to her. The words Wallace had said to her disturbed her on one level and on another she felt truth to them. She didn't want to believe it was true, she couldn't imagine killing another man let alone more. What kind of person was she? The thought was interrupted when the door chimed.<p>

Hannah groaned as she got up from the couch for the second time that day. The first was to have a shower and brush her teeth etc. Some voice inside her told her the first rule to feeling good was to look it. She figured it couldn't hurt even if she was sitting on the couch. She moved to the door and waved a hand over the sensor and was surprised when she saw Teyla at the doorway.

"Teyla" Hannah said in surprise. The Athosian woman smiled at Hannah warmly.

"Hannah, we didn't see you at lunch so I thought I would come and see if you were well" Teyla said, Hannah leaned out the doorway to see if Sheppard or any other people were lurking about. "It is just me" Teyla informed her.

"Sorry, come in" Hannah said standing to the side. Teyla walked into the room and moved to the lounge taking a seat. "I wasn't feeling very hungry" Hannah told Teyla as she moved over to join the woman on the couch. Hannah slowly sat down and bit her lip from the pain as her ribs were extremely painful.

"You're injured" Teyla said noting Hannah's shallow breathing and her face that had paled somewhat from the simple movements or sitting down.

"Oh yeah sparring… I was caught off guard. It's nothing, can I offer you anything to drink or eat?" Hannah asked.

"No, I am fine. Are you excited about having the procedure tomorrow?" Teyla asked.

"Yes, may I ask you a question?" Hannah asked as she frowned slightly.

"Of course"

"Am I a bad person?" Hannah asked.

"No, who would give you that idea?" Teyla asked Hannah shook her head.

"No one, it's just I have these nightmares and flashes of horrible things. Sometimes I'm the victim and other times it is I who" Hannah stopped not wanting to finish the sentence. She knew from Halling that if anyone on the base would not judge her it would be Teyla. The Athosians were honest to a fault and they also listened without judgement. Teyla nodded in thought at what Hannah said instead of launching into defensive mode.

"You are neither bad nor evil. You are a good person but you have lived a very hard life which you will remember tomorrow. You have to remember that what you did was not a selfish act. You sacrificed yourself for the freedom of many races in your galaxy. These memories you have I can only assume do not have context yet. You may have killed many people but there are reasons behind those actions" Teyla said.

"Reasons I won't know until I have my memories back" Hannah said with a sigh.

"Yes" Teyla said.

"I miss being on New Athos, things were so much simpler there" Hannah said looking at the floor.

"I too miss it but what we do here is important and I know this transition has been difficult for you-"

"But when I remember it will all make sense. It's a very tiresome phrase" Hannah said with a sardonic smile.

The two continued to talk about New Athos as Teyla informed Hannah of all the latest news and gossip. Teyla even spoke about Kanaan and their relationship as Hannah had been on New Athos for a couple of weeks she had learned about the two as Kanaan spoke of her often with a look of someone truly in love.

* * *

><p>6pm rolled around quickly as Teyla and Hannah were laughing about Jinto's antics that drove Halling to the end of his wits which was a gift considering how patient Halling is, when Laura came through the door.<p>

"Hey ladies what's going on?" Laura asked as Teyla and Hannah were calming down from their laugh.

"Just talking about New Athos" Teyla told Laura as Hannah was groaning as well as laughing as her ribs pained her.

"You ok?" Laura asked Hannah.

"Yeah I hurt myself while sparring yesterday" Hannah said casually playing down her injuries. She could tell she wasn't fooling Teyla the woman was way too perceptive for her own good. And if Teyla knew then it wouldn't take long for the others to cotton on.

"Let's see" Laura said.

"It's fine, we should go and have dinner" Hannah said changing the topic away from her. Laura folded her arms but didn't demand to see Hannah's injuries instead she sighed.

"Ok, we'll eat and then to the infirmary"

"I'll be in the infirmary tomorrow" Hannah told her as she stood up from the lounge.

"Fine, I'm too tired and hungry to argue with you" Laura said.

* * *

><p>"Anyway the man screamed like a girl and pulled firearm and tried to shoot the spider but he missed and got Corporal Kings in the ass" Laura said as she sat back drinking her coffee. She was regaling the group at their table with her day at work. They had finished dinner and were currently indulging in dessert and conversation.<p>

"What happened to the spider?" Mike asked as he wore an amused smile.

"Disappeared we're wondering if the Doc saw it or not to begin with. Sheppard was not happy" Laura said with a shrug.

"The whole point of having civilians to do weapons proficiency training is so that they can defend themselves in the even their military escorts are incapacitated. Not so they can shoot things they don't like" Hannah said dryly as she stirred her chocolate pudding cup not really interested in eating but had forced the food down. She felt everyone's eyes on her so she looked up and saw their stunned expressions.

"What?" Hannah asked.

"Nothing, it's just that's something you'd say like 'old' you" Laura said.

"Well get used to it after tomorrow I'll be back to my 'old' self" Hannah said in a such a way that everyone looked at her with concern she had been acting distracted and making comments that were passive aggressive.

"You ok?" Laura asked.

"Yeah, sorry I'm just anxious about tomorrow" Hannah said as she rubbed her face with her hands. She was tired of the waiting and what memories she had not making sense. What Wallace had told her was eating a hole in her. Everything about being on Atlantis was eating at her.

She was tired and restless, she felt like she was never going to be what they wanted even if she got her memories back. She wondered how much of her would change and what would stay the same.

* * *

><p>The next day,<p>

"Ok, you ready?" Carver asked as Hannah sat on the gurney in the Isolation room. She had convinced the medical staff she was cold and needed her turtle neck workout jacket with ¾ sleeves. With the zipper on it no one argued that she couldn't wear it as it didn't impede what they were going to do. She was glad to have her neck covered up as the bruised were still dark and gruesome the one on her arm didn't need to be hidden as they all saw Wallace produce that work in the sparring match.

She was already hooked up to an IV drip and vitals monitor. She had been introduced the Dr Vilas the Galaran scientist. They had a meeting with Keller, Heightmeyer, Sam and Sheppard where Dr Vilas told them in great lengths what the procedure was and what was going to happen with Hannah during and after the Procedure.

She was going to be put to sleep while Dr Vilas used his machine to fiddle with her brain find out what was holding the memories back and remove the blockages. She would then wake up with luck feeling heavily disorientated for a few days until her memories reorganised themselves. Dr Vilas told those at the table that he done many procedures with amnesiac patients on Galaran and had many success stories under his belt. He went into detail about the recovery period and what would be necessary as he would not be able to stay and oversee her recovery due to his busy schedule. He also said she would have to have weekly meetings with Keller and Heightmeyer for 3 months to make sure there were no unforeseen side effects from the treatment.

As far as Hannah was concerned she would get her memories back. She didn't care about side effects she wanted the day to be over with.

"I am" Hannah told him, Carver smiled at her and nodded.

"Good, lie back and Keller will knock you out." Carver said with a nod to Keller. Hannah laid down and made herself comfortable as the blonde doctor stepped forward and injected Hannah's IV line.

"Just relax we're all here" Keller assured her, Hannah nodded as she looked up at the Observation deck seeing the group of people watching her. Sheppard gave a small wave from where he was standing.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Someone should be down in there with her" Sheppard said as he stood in the observation room with Sam, McKay, and Heightmeyer. He didn't know where Ronon was but his whole approach to Hannah was pissing him off. Hannah was about to get all of her memories back and the man was MIA. He couldn't figure out what was going on with Ronon and the man was not talking.

Down in the Isolation room, Hannah laid on a bed hooked up to the memory device and vital monitors around her. An IV drip in her arm, Keller stood by Hannah's bed keeping an eye on her vitals. Carver and the Galaren scientist stood in front of the computers and the device talking between themselves in hushed voices. They had been like that for the last half an hour.

"She's unconscious, I doubt she needs someone to hold her hand" McKay said as he watched with interest.

"McKay's right, she has been sedated for the procedure and won't wake up for at least a couple of hours. Dr Keller is monitoring her vitals but after we'll be there for when she wakes up" Sam said.

* * *

><p>3 hours later in Carver's temporary office. He and Vilas had been pouring over the data from the procedure. They had returned the clone's memories but what they found was very disappointing.<p>

"We are sure only one stream of memories?" Carver said to his comrade Vilas. Vilas an older gentleman in his late 60's, he was top ranking scientist in the Lucian Alliance ranks. He pointed to the screen at the read outs.

"If she had the other memories they would have shown up. She's been completely wiped of them. We have a copy of those memories but I would say she is completely tapped resource. I will review the memories later and report to our leaders they will send your new orders but I would say you'll be returning back to your original assignment in the next week" Vilas told him, Carver smiled as he was relieved to get out of the Pegasus Galaxy.

"Good, I hate this place. What's your recommendation for the clone" Carver asked.

"I will recommend we let her live, she's no use to us but her death would raise suspicion. We haven't been wheedling our way into their governments and military just to destroy it on the death of a science project." Vilas told him.

* * *

><p>"I called you a cheat!" Laura accused as she held her cards close to her chest pointing at Demming. Ronon sat up by the side of the top of Hannah's bed and watched the scene before him as Lorne, Sheppard, Laura and Demming sat at the foot of Hannah's bed playing cards while Hannah slept off the sedatives.<p>

"I'm not!" Demming said defensively as they were playing a game of 'Cheat' he had lied about the cards he had put down on the pile but was hoping to talk his way out of it.

"Just show her your cards so we can continue" Sheppard said in a bored tone. It was their third game. He and Lorne were the only ones who hadn't fallen into the melodrama of Laura and Demming yet.

"Demming you don't get to defend yourself in this game. Cadman called you a 'Cheat'. Now you have to show your cards and own up or revel in Cadman picking up 10 cards" Lorne said calmly as always, Lorne had the patience of a saint or it was probably the fact he had two nephews and was used to playing the mediator to quibbling children.

Demming pouted as he turned over his cards. Laura smiled as she was vindicated.

"I told you!" She said sitting down beside Sheppard. They had pulled out a pack of cards to play while waiting for Hannah to wake up. She was sleeping in a starfish position with her arms up on the pillow with her head and her legs spread out. They had been putting their discarded cards between her feet.

"Seriously this is an infirmary! Can't you play quietly?" Keller asked as she came over to hush them for what had to be the tenth time in the last two hours.

"We could but then it wouldn't be as amusing." Demming said with a smile to the young Blonde doctor. He shuffled his extra cards into his hand reorganising them to his own desired configuration.

"People are resting. Case and point" Keller said pointing to Hannah.

"She'll wake up if we start whispering. Oh let's play Chinese whisper. I'll start and whisper something dirty to Laura" Demming said looking excited at the idea. Laura rolled her eyes at him.

"Don't you all have work somewhere else that needs doing?" she asked. They all looked at one another before shaking their heads.

"Nope" Demming said.

"Not a thing" Laura chimed.

"I'm completely up to date and ready to go off world tomorrow" Lorne added.

"oooh hot date with Dr Johnson and her nebula" Demming said suggestively. Lorne didn't take the bait and looked completely indifferent.

"Is nothing sacred?" Laura asked Demming who smiled mischievously and shook his head.

"I leave all my paper work for the end of the month" Sheppard said a little smug as Lorne gave him an exasperated look. He did enjoy ruffling Lorne's feathers.

"It's the 26th" Keller told him

"I still have 5 days" Sheppard said.

"4 days Sir, it's April" Lorne told him.

"Really?" Sheppard asked surprised.

"Yes" Lorne replied dryly.

"Damn, I'll get on it tomorrow" Sheppard said not bothered by the thoughts of all the paper work he had yet to read and sign.

Hannah's feet shifted first which caught everyone's attention. It was just luck there were no cards on the bed as Demming had picked them up for losing the last round.

Ronon stood up to get a better look at Hannah as she woke up. Keller moved to the opposite side of the bed as Hannah's eyes opened.

* * *

><p>Hannah looked up first and saw Ronon looking down at her. In that first second she looked upon him she was hit with every memory of him and then the next second she looked around at the other faces recognising them for the first time as she remembered every detail of who they were and their connection to her. It was overwhelming the flood of old memories. Everything, everything came rushing back. She pushed up from the bed and winced as her ribs pained her but it did not heed the rising of bile in her throat.<p>

"O'Neill?" Sheppard said.

"I'm gonna be sick" Hannah gasped.

"Oh here" Keller said as her eyes went wide as she reached for the nearest bin and gave it to Hannah. Hannah leaned over the side of the bed holding the bucket and emptied her stomach into it. She felt Ronon's arm around her middle and the other hold her hair as she continue to empty her stomach.

"That's true love" Demming said wincing as he and the others watched the ugly scene of Hannah empting her stomach and Ronon making sure she didn't fall off the bed while holding her hair back.

"Well that has turned me off scrambled eggs for a while" Sheppard added as he decided to look away. Lorne had also decided that the architraves in the room were far more interesting than Hannah in that moment.

"Flyboys and civilians you haven't the stomach for anything" Laura said shaking her head at them to convey her disgrace at them. She moved forward to help by holding the bucket so Hannah didn't drop it. Keller was gearing up a side tray with medicine and other diagnostic tools she probably felt she would need.

After what seemed an eternity which in reality was about 10 minutes Hannah stomach finished upending itself for the moment at least. It didn't stop churning though.

"All finished?" Laura asked. Hannah just nodded and didn't protest as Ronon pulled her back onto the bed resettling her. She looked up at him again not being able to take her eyes off him this time.

"Lt O'Neill?" Dr Keller said trying to get Hannah's attention. Hannah turned her attention to the Doctor but was distracted as she watched Laura disappear from view. She felt bad for being sick and having Laura have to clean after her. She made a mental note to thank her friend. She had gone above and beyond with helping her the last few days.

"Lt O'Neill?" Keller said.

"Sorry Doctor. It's a little overwhelming" Hannah said giving the woman her full attention.

"It's to be expected" Keller said before she smiled kindly as she checked Hannah's vitals. Hannah looked at all the now familiar faces around her. She was filled with joy at the memories but she was gutted at the same time as she remembered every detail of how she came to be in the Pegasus Galaxy.

She remembered up until the part where she ascended. It was the only part missing but all her other memories remained intact. Morgan Le Fey stayed true to their agreement. Hannah retained no other memories but her own. She couldn't remember anything about O'Neill's past, Tok'ra, Sam or Ancient. It was all wiped away. It was freeing to not be burden by the information that had made her such a high value target. She felt her emotions roil inside of her like a tight knot promising to choke her. She took her hand that Ronon had been holding and moved her hand to her base of her décolletage. She felt her locket missing from her neck and she felt like she was going to be sick again. She told herself to take steady and slow breaths to stem the nausea.

"Ok everyone out. It's too crowded in here for me to think" Keller said as she as everyone could see Hannah was getting overwhelmed to the point it was distressing her.

"We'll be back later" Sheppard said he smiled at Hannah before he ushered everyone out. Hannah gave a weak smile to those leaving as they all smiled at her. Hannah turned to Keller and gave a weak sigh.

"Thank you" Hannah told her.

"Dr Vilas said it would be overwhelming"

"I know, I'll be fine as soon as I get out of here and sort through it all"

"You can't leave for 72 hours at least. Dr Heightmeyer and I agree it's for the best. We'll limit your visitors to one person at a time." Keller said.

"I'd prefer no visitors" Hannah said, Keller looked at her with surprise.

"Ok, that's your prerogative" Keller said.

"Good, anything else because I'd like to be alone" Hannah said in a clipped tone, Keller shook her head and pretended everything was fine but Hannah could feel the concern roll off her.

"No we're good. If you need anything just holler ok?" Keller told her.

"There is something, could I get a tooth brush and paste?" Hannah asked.

"Sure" Keller said.

* * *

><p>Hannah stayed in bed staring at the ceiling, every memory played in her mind like a long and horrifying movie. She barely touched her food not interested in doing anything but lying there. She felt like nothing, like everything had been hollowed out with a blunt spoon. She was just counting down the hours until she got out of the Infirmary and could hide in her quarters away from the world until she could find some part of her she could like.<p>

* * *

><p>"She doesn't want to see anyone. Aren't you worried?" Sheppard asked to Sam as he and Ronon had just debriefed Sam about a mission they wanted to proceed with next week. When Sheppard decided to ask Sam what her thoughts were about the current 'Hannah' situation.<p>

"Keller said she doesn't want to see anyone and we should respect her wishes" Sam said.

"That's not Hannah-" Sheppard started.

"Maybe that's the problem" Sam said cutting him.

"What do you mean?" Ronon asked.

"Well she's not the same. She is broken for want of a better word. She was a P.O.W. of the Ori for months and broke her tenets as soldier to her country. She became a soldier for them and committed many atrocities in their name. Can you imagine what it's like for her, she needs to come to terms with what she has done" Sam said.

"So until then we just leave her alone?" Sheppard asked.

"Yes, we do. She will, just have to give her time. It's not like any of us can offer her advice because we haven't been in-" Sam stopped mid sentence as she realised something. "I need to contact Earth"

"Why?" Sheppard asked confused.

"Because I know someone who can offer her advice but it's going to take time to get in contact with him." Sam said

"Him?"

"Look, give her the space she needs. We'll address the issue in a week. Dismissed" Sam said as she picked up her tablet computer.

"Yes Colonel" Sheppard said as he left the room with Ronon beside him.

* * *

><p>"Ok how are we feeling this morning?" Keller said cheerfully as she smiled at Hannah. Hannah pushed herself up in the bed and shrugged.<p>

"The same" Hannah replied non plussed to be asked that question.

"Ok, well everything looks good. You're good to go" Keller said as she unhooked Hannah from the machines. "Just remember to see Heightmeyer for your appointment today at 3pm"

"I will"

"Oh and Mr Carver wants to see you as well" Keller said.

"I'll make a note to seek him out" Hannah said as she got up from the bed.

Hannah changed into her BDUs. She touched the bruises on her neck and felt anger boil in her at Wallace she swore she would kill him if they crossed paths again. She kept her hair down covering her neck and sighed. The numb feeling in her after the second day of lying in the bed had slowly given way to a silent rage and disgust in her. She could feel it in her like her chest was going to burst if she didn't scream or hit someone. But she kept it in as she knew it she had no one to blame but herself.

She pulled on her boots and walked out to the Infirmary and signed her discharge papers before leaving the Infirmary. She went straight to her quarters and sat down on the nearest chair and stared out at the view of Atlantis. She had no will to move as she let her memories and past choices wash through her, it all was fresh to her the wounds from the past that were once healed were reopened and the pain fresh.

She looked at her watch and sighed as she had hours to pass until her appointment with Heightmeyer. She knew she had to find Mr Carver and speak to him at some point but right now she just couldn't find the motivation to move.

* * *

><p>"So, your first day out of the Infirmary" Heightmeyer said.<p>

"Yeah" Hannah said as she looked out at the view from Heightmeyer's office.

"What did you get up to?" Heightmeyer asked conversational tone, she had a better chance of having a deep and meaningful conversation with Ronon at that moment than she did with Hannah. Hannah was one of the most reluctant patients she had. She didn't talk or open up and when she did talk she would say something completely irrelevant and off topic which didn't help her progress.

Hannah just shrugged as she looked out at the view, she didn't say a thing but Heightmeyer could see Hannah was suffering from her inner demons.

"Look it's been three days and you haven't shown any progress in your mental recovery. You need to talk about what happened" Hieghtmeyer told her as she also knew Hannah was a ticking time bomb. If she kept everything pent up it would burn her out and she would completely unravel.

"You already know what happened. I don't see how my talking about my feelings and crying about it will help. I do not see how you are qualified to even be able to identify my progress. If you want to help me? let me sort my mess out on my own. I need time alone" Hannah told her.

"You need support"

"Support? What a joke… you're the people who-" Hannah stopped herself and looked at her watch while she stood up from her chair. "Oh look our time is up" she said as she moved to the door.

"No finish that sentence" Heightmeyer said. Hannah turned to face her.

"I'd love to but I really don't care to do the song and dance of 'let me work' because I fit the healthy parameters of your diagnostic tools" Hannah told her coldly.

"You know that if you don't pass your psychological evaluation you'll be sent back to Earth" Heightmeyer told her.

"Actually I think I get a choice of where I get to go as I'm not a citizen of Earth, nor a member of the Military. I am a person of no home or origins. So make your empty threats but I'm an alien for intents and purposes I don't belong anywhere and you can't force me to go anywhere I don't want to go" Hannah corrected her, she didn't wait for a reply as she left the room leaving Heightmeyer gobsmacked by the statement. She made a note in her files for later.

* * *

><p>"Miss O'Neill" Carver said as he ran into her in the hallway.<p>

"Mr Carver" Hannah said.

"How did the session go?" Carver asked.

"Smashingly" Hannah said dryly. The man laughed.

"Excellent, I'm returning to Earth tomorrow but I wanted to do a hypnosis session with you and remove the locks I put on you"

"Oh the ones to stop me from acting out"

"Yes, now that you have your memories you can control your responses to memory triggers. No point in having the behavioural mechanisms. It will only take a moment" Carver said.

"Sure"

"Good, come this way to my temporary office. I also wanted to tell you that you'll be on 6 months convalescence. Feel free to do whatever you like Atlantis is your home and any allied planets marked for safe travel you are welcome to visit with the permission of Colonel Carter of course." Carver said as they walked to his office.

"Thank you"

"No thanks required. You sacrificed yourself to destroy Adria and in that gift you gave us of freedom it's the least we can do. When your 6 months is up you'll have to pass psychological review and compulsory physical exam before the IOA can officially sign papers with you for your new title. That's if you still desire it?" Carver asked.

"I do but I'm not committing-"

"Don't worry, no pressure at all, ladies first" Carver said as he opened the door to his office.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Hey, they let you out of the Infirmary" Laura said as she came into the living room. Hannah looked over to her and nodded. She had been sitting in the chair foran hour looking at no where in particular. She had left Carver's office feeling freer than she did earlier, he also told her to take it easy as he was leaving for Earth and not to worry about Heightmeyer she would not be the one doing her Psychological Review. Hannah chuckled at the comment as she knew Heightmeyer would never pass her unless they spent hours pulling Hannah's psyche apart. Time Hannah would prefer to be alone or working through her issues.

"Yep clean bill of health" Hannah said as she unfurled her legs from under her and standing up to stretch. Laura had the impression Hannah had been sitting in that chair all day just staring out at the view.

"You hungry?" Laura asked.

"Not really"

"Why don't I grab some sandwiches and we eat in" Laura offered as she figured the reason why Hannah didn't want to go to the mess was that she would encounter Ronon and everyone else. But mainly Ronon as he would be there eating a meal large enough to feed a family of four. If Laura was in Hannah's position she'd want to avoid the man for as long as possible as she wanted to punch him in the face for his hot and cold treatment of her when she had amnesia.

"Sure" Hannah said moving to the couch where Laura had flopped down to relax.

"You can't avoid him forever" Laura said.

"Who?" Hannah asked obtusely.

"Ronon"

"I'm avoiding everyone at the moment" Hannah admitted. Ronon was only one of the few she was actively avoiding but then it wasn't like he was coming to her door and showing he cared. She was afraid that her assumption that he had moved on was true and his distance was indicative that he no longer cared. That his appearance at her bedside was just out of some obligation he felt to her.

"Except me, I feel so special" Laura gushed she saw a smile twitch on Hannah's lips. "Oh is that what I think it is?" Laura asked as she pointed at Hannah. "Oh it's the starts of a smile"

Hannah smiled giving in, it wasn't the light up the room type of smile but a surrender as she gave a closed lip smile.

"It's a start" Laura said taking the victory. She picked herself up off the couch and straightened her shirt.

"I'll be back in ten. Any requests?" Laura asked. Hannah shook her head.

* * *

><p>Laura held a tray with one arm and piled it with sandwiches, fruit and biscuits.<p>

"Lieutenant, are you doing the 'Ronon' diet?" Sheppard as he poured himself a cup of coffee. It was a running joke that no one could eat like Ronon but it didn't stop some of the younger recruits from trying to match him. It never ended well.

"Nope, eating in tonight" Laura said as she picked up two bottles of water and another two of juice and placed them on the tray.

"O'Neill is still hiding?" Sheppard asked.

"Sir, we all expected her to be her bubbly self but to be honest she's kind of like how she was when I first met her. Dark and messed up, she'll get out of the funk" Laura said staying positive.

"Will you tell her I said 'hi' and if she wants to go for a run to let me know" Sheppard said.

"Sure, she might take you up on the offer Sir. If the big guy isn't there" Laura said as she titled her head to the table where Teyla and Ronon were sitting at.

"Really?" Sheppard said though he wasn't surprised, Ronon and Hannah were the most spoken about non couple.

"Yeah, you should let him know now is the time for him to decide if he wants in or out. Hannah is not going to make a move as she won't risk of making herself into a fool and she doesn't want to be hurt... I don't want her to be hurt either" Laura told him in a low voice.

"Noted" Sheppard said as he left Laura to take her tray out of the mess hall as he went back to the table where Teyla and Ronon were talking.

"I saw you speaking to Lt Cadman, is everything ok?" Teyla asked.

"Yeah, everything is fine." Sheppard said as he took a sip of his coffee. Sheppard felt helpless by Hannah's less than stellar recovery from her amnesia. He had been so happy to find her back from the dead living with her people. He had gotten his hopes up that when she remembered she would be happy but she was the complete opposite. She had distanced herself from them all. With exception to Laura but he figured that was because the two lived together. But he knew Laura was struggling with Hannah's current emotional state as much as they all were. The difference was she had court side seats. He wanted the sparky blonde with a razor sharp tongue and can do positive attitude and mega watt smile that could light up a room to come back.

He didn't like Colonel Carter's wait and see approach, he preferred the 'get the person drunk' or 'make them hit something (preferably not him) until they talk or get whatever they were keeping inside out.

He listened to Teyla talk about the upcoming harvest festival on New Athos. She was subtly hinting that they could all do with the time off which her speak for saying 'Don't plan any missions for the next two days after it as you'll all have killer hangovers and I don't want to put up with the whining'. He always admired how she would wake up the next day after a hard night of drinking and not have a hangover.

"Do you think Colonel Carter would allow Hannah to come with us?" Teyla asked Sheppard breaking him from his thoughts.

"It's worth asking though I don't know if O'Neill will go" Sheppard said.

"I think you'll be surprised, Hannah was only with my people for a short time but I know she misses them and New Athos. I also think it may do her some good to speak with Halling" Teyla said before she ate a grape.

"Why him?" Ronon asked. Teyla gave a knowing smile as she knew Ronon's irrational thinking processes were going into over drive.

"He looked after her when she first arrived on New Athos. He is also a good listener" Teyla said.

"We all got ears" Sheppard said.

"I have observed that your people tend to only hear and see what you want" Teyla said diplomatically as she could. Sheppard tried not to take offence but he understood what she meant by the statement.

* * *

><p>"Just ask" Hannah said as she ate half of a sandwich to placate Laura. Laura had been sitting next to her darting looks as they ate. Even though they kept conversation light Hannah could tell her friend was wanting to ask something.<p>

"What?" Laura asked.

"Just Ask" Hannah said.

"Ok, what's with the bug up your ass?"

"Bug up my ass" Hannah repeated dryly.

"Yeah so out with it, we've been friends for a while now just tell me whatever it is. You don't have to tell me details just an overview" Laura said, Hannah smiled for a moment before she looked away and winced before looking at Laura.

"I will tell you one day but not now. I'm not ready and to be frank if I was, I don't even know where to start." Hannah told her.

"Ok" Laura said accepting Hannah's answer for now.

* * *

><p>The next day, Hannah woke up when the door chimed nonstop. She grumbled as she made it to the door and waved a hand over the sensor opening the door.<p>

"Sheppard" Hannah said half asleep, she rubbed her face before looking at Sheppard trying to wake herself up. She couldn't believe how long she had slept but then she wondered what he was doing there.

"Good afternoon, you mean" Sheppard said with a confused look as he checked his watch.

"What are you doing here?" Hannah asked.

"Good to see you too" Sheppard said as he leaned against the doorway.

"Sorry, do come in. Can I get you something to drink?" Hannah asked dryly as she stepped out of the way to let him into the apartment.

"No I'm good but I need you to come with me" Sheppard said as he gestured with his thumb.

"Where?"

"To the Conference room"

"Why?" Hannah asked reluctantly. She didn't want to leave her quarters let alone go to the hub of Atlantis activity filled with people she knew running around. She still hadn't managed to control her memories from being triggered but managed to put on a good poker face.

"There's a situation and I need you to help" Sheppard told her.

"I-" Hannah started she stammered as she had no good excuses to get out of helping him. It wasn't like she didn't want to help she just wasn't ready to reintergrate with Atlantis society. Sheppard held up a hand to stop her from speaking. Hannah closed her mouth.

"I need your help, its Dr Johnson and Major Lorne" Sheppard told her, Hannah saw he was worried and gave in as she couldn't say no to him.

"Ok just let me get changed" Hannah said as she waved him in to wait inside. He stepped into the quarters and closed the door as Hannah went to her room to get changed.

"So what's going on? I thought they were on some exploration mission" Hannah shouted from the open door of her room as she got changed.

"Major Lorne was taking Doctor Johnson to look at a Nebula they were supposed to be back 24 hours ago" Sheppard said as he noticed how fastidious everything was but then he figured Hannah wasn't sleeping or exercising she had to get rid of the energy somehow.

"So then why do you need me?" Hannah asked as she came out of the room in Cargo pants and a grey long sleeve top with a cowl neckline. Sheppard noticed something on the side of her neck as she shifted her hair.

"You have something on your neck" Sheppard said as he came toward her. Hannah adjusted the collar and her hair quickly.

"It's nothing" She said shrugging casually. "Let's go" she said gesturing to the door. Sheppard nodded and walked toward her with meaning to leave but curiosity got the better of him and he pulled on the collar of the jumper and saw the bruises.

"What the hell!" Hannah snapped as she smacked his hand away but she knew it was too late. He saw the bruises on her neck and his face said it all.

"Yeah what the hell? Who did that to you?" Sheppard demanded as he grabbed her by the upper arm.

"It doesn't matter" Hannah said as she stared him coldy in the eyes. They both knew she could fight him and win with little effort but Hannah allowed him to as she knew he wasn't trying to hurt her but to get her to look at him and pay attention.

"The hell it doesn't, those are fresh. I know Wallace bruised your wrist but he didn't do that to you. Or did he? Hannah, tell me" Sheppard said in a low voice. Hannah felt anger rise in as she thought it rich that he care when he was among the many who gave her up.

"I don't have to tell you anything!" Hannah snapped at him.

"You do when someone is hurting you" Sheppard told her as he caught her other arm with his hand so they were facing each other.

"The damage is done but don't worry I won't be so weak next time" Hannah said in a low and chilling tone.

"That's what I'm worried about" Sheppard said as his eyes roved her face trying to comprehend her current persona in comparison with the woman he knew.

"Your concern is touching" Hannah said her voice dripped with sarcasm. She shucked his hands from her arms and turned her back to him. Only to have him grabbed her and turn her back to facing him.

"Hey! I care about you, you're one of the few people in my life that are family to me." Sheppard told her as he shook her trying to make the words sink in. Tears filled Hannah's eyes as she heard his words and saw the truth in his face.

"Then why did you give up on me?" She asked in a hushed tone.

"I never gave up on you. The Military did. Is that why you've pulled away you think we don't care?" Sheppard asked.

"Yes! I was left to rot in an Ori cell for months! No one came for me. Do you know what they do to their prisoners? They cleanse your soul. It feels like hot knives driving their way out of your body from the inside to the out. Every day for months I never gave in" Hannah told him, the tears fell down her face and Sheppard looked at her with sadness as he understood her pain.

"Hannah" he said but she didn't hear him.

"I didn't give in even when Daniel someone I trusted tortured me. He was supposed to help me but instead he used me and he told me that no one was coming and the search was called off after two weeks." Hannah said she placed a hand over her mouth and looked away to wipe the tears from her face.

"I gave everything to the Stargate program and Earth. Do you know how I survived?" She asked him, he nodded.

"Some of the story" Sheppard said as he loosened his grip. She ripped her arm out his grip and looked at him with anger and raw pain.

"Story? Ok I'll tell you the whole story." She sneered at him. "Once upon a time a woman rotting in a cell wishing for death was visited by her very own Ancient Godmother called Morgan Le Fey. Morgan told her she had a destiny and that everything that the woman had survived so far was just the lead up to the final battle. See Morgan knew the woman was near death so she wooed the woman with everything she wanted. The woman listened as Morgan told her of a future where she would be the one placed she truly felt at home and all the trimmings. All she had to do was go against everything she believed and give in to her captors and become one of them to help bring down the Evil Queen. The woman agreed because she was so desperate for a taste of the dream but knew if she failed she would get a quick death. It was win/win for her really as she had nothing to lose. So little by little she begged for forgiveness and allowed the evil queen to believe she was on her side. She helped the Evil Queen kill many men because they did not believe in her religion. The woman became a monster as she waited for the Morgan's plan to come to fruition. When it did, the woman ascended into a battle against the Evil Queen. When she was vanquished Morgan turned to the woman and kept her word. The woman made it to her home and when her memories came back to her she realised she couldn't stand what she had done, the decisions she made in the past…" Hannah stopped as she couldn't breathe. She sunk to her knees as she clutched a hand to her chest. The knots in her chest tightened painfully as tears fell from her eyes.

Sheppard dropped to his knees beside her and wrapped his arms around her, she was resistant at first but he didn't give up until she finally surrendered. He held her tightly as she cried heart wrenching sobs that racked her whole body.

After a short while passed she quietened down and her body trembled in Sheppard's arm as he held onto tightly as he murmured words of comfort. Hannah took a deep breath and sighed.

"Everything is so messed up. How am I supposed to live with myself?" she asked him.

"One day at a time" he offered, Hannah burst out laughing at the cliché line and smacked his arm as he too was laughing. She pushed out of embrace and shook her head at him.

"You watch way too much TV" Hannah told him.

"And you don't watch enough" he shot back as he laid back onto the floor. Hannah flopped down beside him they looked at one another before laughing again.

"One day at a time what are you my sponsor?" Hannah asked.

"Hey my form of therapy is beer"

"I like it. You're hired"

"I don't have any beer at the moment"

"You're fired"

"Hey!" Sheppard said defensively.

"Clear out your desk and don't come on Monday" Hannah said in a joking manner as she felt lighter for sobbing like an 8 yr old in Sheppard's arm. But she was glad that he wasn't being awkward. She knew Sheppard wasn't good at dealing with crying women.

"You didn't give me an office" Sheppard said.

"What's going on with Lorne and Megan?" Hannah asked stopping their banter and moving onto the serious and very real problem of the moment as she looked at the ceiling.

"They are overdue and the Stargate won't activate. Daedalus will take about two weeks to get to them but they only have supplies for three more days. If they are still alive"

"Has the Daedalus left yet?" Hannah asked.

"Not yet, they will in two hours. Thoughts?"

"I'd have to see what McKay and his nerd squad have come up with first. But I make no promises I don't have Janus's memories anymore. My assumptions will be based on my own studies" Hannah told him.

"Fine with me. Come on" Sheppard said he got to his feet and then held a hand out to Hannah.

* * *

><p>TBC~<p> 


	21. Chapter 21

_A/N: Sorry for the long delays! uni blah And Big thank yous for the reviews they make me smile :-) so here we go! I'm going to try and update once a week with at least one chapter... I figure it's better than nothing right? Also I have no knowledge of stellar phenomena or computer stuff and thus please allow the following to slide...if it's incorrect! Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>Chapter 21<p>

"What are you doing here?" McKay asked as he turned away from the white board he was currently staring at when Sheppard announced their arrival.

"I'm here to assist you" Hannah said reluctantly.

"I doubt there is anything you can do to help" McKay said Hannah looked back at Sheppard who made motions for her to press on. So she did.

"What do you have?" Hannah asked.

"I'm not going to bother explaining the complexities of the situation read it for yourself." McKay said as he pushed a tablet computer into her hands. Hannah read the screen at the possible problems they had predicted for why they couldn't establish an active wormhole. After ten minutes of skimming she handed the tablet computer back to him.

"Why haven't you considered a Magnetic storm as a possible reason?" she asked.

"A Magnetic storm, that's absurd… this is the real world not Star trek" McKay told her, he spoke to her as if she was a child.

"They do exist. I suggest you read up on your spatial phenomena in the Atlantis database. Magnetic storms have been known to interfere with the Atlantean technology. Thus it could be hypothesised that the magnetic storm is impeded the Stargate and the puddle jumper from operating. " Hannah told him bluntly.

"She is correct there is such a thing as Magnetic storms" Demming said as he had moved to stand with them at the board and also to show the reference he found from the database on his computer. Hannah looked at McKay with a smirk as she was vindicated and he for once wasn't right.

"I preferred it when you didn't have your memory" McKay snapped at Hannah as he ignored Demming.

"You never spoke to me when I had amnesia" Hannah said.

"That's my point" he replied.

"Noted but for future reference if you speak to me as if I am a small child or a golden retriever again I'll break your nose" Hannah warned him, in a cold and threatening tone.

"Well your assistance is no longer required" he said as he had paled at her steady and unnerving stare before he nodded and turned back to his work.

"Well, it's nice to have you back. High five?" Demming said to her, he held up his hand waiting for a high five. Hannah gave him an unimpressed look.

"No" Hannah told him before turning on her feet and walking towards the exit where Sheppard was waiting.

"Come on, don't leave me hanging" Demming said as she left the room.

"What?" Hannah asked as Sheppard was wearing an amused expression.

"Break his nose?" Sheppard asked.

"I could have threatened to kill him" Hannah said with a shrug. She technically was no longer constrained by her former military protocols nor was she an employee of the IOA so she could say whatever she liked to a certain degree.

"True, let's go to the control room. I thought you might want to get a radio" Sheppard said as he steered their direction towards the room.

"Would be helpful, oh and you should talk to Dr Branton. There's an Astrometrics lab that shows sensor readings for that area from a roaming satellite. It might help in seeing where Lorne and Megan might be. But if I'm right about the Magnetic storm, there's a possibility that they are already dead" Hannah told him.

"I'd prefer to think they are still alive" Sheppard told her, they stopped in front of Chuck's station and the man looked up and smiled.

"Hey Chuck" Hannah said.

"Lt O'Neill, good to see you. Rumours say you got your memories back" Chuck said.

"Rumours are true, I was hoping I could get an earwig and radio" Hannah said.

"No problem, just give me a couple of minutes. Colonel Sheppard what channels do you want me to give her?" Chuck asked.

"Give her Military as well as Civilian" Sheppard answered. Hannah looked at him surprised that he would give her access.

"You sure Colonel Carter won't object?" Hannah asked.

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her" Sheppard said, Hannah raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing as they waited for Chuck to return. He handed her an ear wig which she adjusted it with ease before placing it in her ear. She could hear the chatter of multiple people going on in her ear. It only took seconds for her to block it out as it wasn't relevant to her.

"Thanks" she said to Chuck. She turned to Sheppard "McKay wll tell you that sending the Daedalus will be impossible if I'm right about the Magnetic storm. The ship wouldn't fair well in the storm even with shields at maximum" Hannah informed him.

"Then what are we supposed to do? Leave them stranded?" Sheppard asked her.

"For the time being? Yes. They might have gotten lucky and landed on a habitable planet. When it blows over they'll be back" Hannah said.

"How likely is that?" Sheppard asked.

"I don't know, come on let's go talk to Dr Branton" Hannah said, she was amazed at how quickly and easily they slipped back into their previous roles of her being his XO and him the Commander. Even though he had been given a promotion and she was no longer in the Military.

"Ladies first" Sheppard said as he gesture she take the lead.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Hannah replied with a sarcastic drawl inferring he was the 'lady' in this instance he smile and pointed at her.

"Don't be cute it doesn't suit you" he replied with a smile.

"You don't think being cute suits me?" Hannah asked with mock disappointment.

"I think it suits you" Chuck said to Hannah who smiled at him as he was joining in on the fun. But upon Sheppard's look of 'whose side are you on' Chuck smothered his smile and became serious and added a "Ma'am" in a formal manner before ducking his head and going back to work.

"Thank you Chuck" Hannah said as she looked to Sheppard and motion that they leave. He nodded and they left the control room heading to the nearest transporter.

* * *

><p>"As soon as I was told about it I've the Astrometrics Lab. I learned there is about of about 24 hour delay between the satellites in that area and here" Mike said as they met up in the Astrometrics lab. He had a holographic scaled down version of the sector displaying in the room when they walked in. Sheppard was currently waving his hand through the holographic nebula marvelling at how cool it was.<p>

"So you have record of the puddle jumper?" Sheppard asked.

"Yes, it's course and trajectory… I have up until they were returning to the Stargate and there is the storm front" he said as he pointed to the holographic recreation.

"This is pretty cool why can't we spy on wrath ships this way?" Sheppard asked getting off topic.

"Because there aren't that many satellites in the Pegasus Galaxy to begin with and because the wrath destroyed all the ancient satellites around their more popular feeding grounds" Mike said. Sheppard nodded his head acknowledging the information.

"Makes sense, they wouldn't want the ancients spying on them" Hannah added.

"So this Magnetic storm..." Sheppard drawled.

"Well we can only assume so as the data hasn't come in yet" Mike said.

"If that's true, they could have crash landed on the planet and possibly survived if their systems weren't too heavily damaged. Is this planet habitable?" Hannah asked Mike pointing to the planet that the Stargate was orbiting.

"Depends on your definition of habitable but if they did crash on the planet then they could possibly still be alive and be able to survive. From what I read in the database the planet is swamp like in nature" Mike said.

"Let's believe that's true" Sheppard said.

"Forever the optimist" Hannah said looking to Sheppard.

"Well it balances out your pessimism" Sheppard replied with a smile.

"I'm pragmatic there is a difference" Hannah told him.

"Colonel Sheppard please report to the Control Room Immediately" Came over the P.A.

"That's me, keep me updated" Sheppard told them.

Hannah nodded as did Mike not bothering to mention that they could be doing better things with their time to help in the search. Sheppard left the room and Mike turned to Hannah who was looking at the holographic projections. She managed to open up a small screen and accessed the database through it.

"How did you do that?" Mike asked as he had never seen the function before.

"I don't know I just knew how to… I'm told it's a side effect of my memories being restored" Hannah said as she closed the window and demonstrated how she accessed the screen and a key board to type in a search while Mike watched and imitated her movements and garnering the same results.

"I tried to see you in the infirmary but Dr Keller said you asked to be left in peace" Mike said as he kept his eyes on the screen and not her. She appreciated not being stared down for answers but none the less felt she had to give him answers as he had been good to her.

"When I woke up, I was overwhelmed" Hannah said as she was uncomfortable admitting her weakness. "I still am" she added as she looked at the screen reading historical data on the solar system. Mike remained silent as he watched the frail control on her emotions hold. It was amazing how different she was from the woman he met when she first arrived.

"I look at people I know and every memory I have of them, opinions, emotions, thoughts all flood me. Like I said it's overwhelming. You are the first person I have encountered today that I thankfully have not experienced this with. It's somewhat of a relief" Hannah said with a sigh as she looked at him quickly to make see his reaction. He didn't look upset by her statement in fact he looked pleased.

"Well I'm glad I'm one of the few that you can be comfortable around. I'm sure once your memories settle back to where they are supposed to be it'll get easier" Mike said as he continued to open and close screens practising it as they really couldn't do anything but wait for more data to come in.

"I can only hope" Hannah said relieved he wasn't offended. They fell into a companionable silence as Mike read historical occurrences of Magnetic storms in the sector of space Lorne and Megan were in. Hannah read up on how Atlantean technology survived in past brushes in magnetic storms. After an hour of working Mike saw a pattern start to emerge.

"It seems every 10 years or so the sector goes through a turbulent storm season for about six months" Mike commented. Hannah moved to stand by his side and looked at data.

"So it seems. This doesn't bode well for Dr Johnson and Major Lorne if we can't open the Stargate or have them rescued by the Daedalus. Is there a way to predict the next storm from previous data?" Hannah asked.

"Possibly but it will take time. I guess we can take comfort that they'll be relatively safe on the planet." Mike said but Hannah wasn't paying attention as her mind ran a million miles an hour churning up ideas.

"If we can open the Stargate and send a message their comm. system could possibly pick it up" Hannah said she bit her bottom lip as she sifted through the Atlantis database for past incidents of crashes. She remembered reading about it once upon a time.

"What are you looking for?"

"I remember reading somewhere about exploration vessel crash landing on a planet when they were knocked out by a magnetic storm… Their comm. systems were damaged from the crash and barely functioning but they were able to receive messages and send out a weak signal but I can't remember where" Hannah said, she wished she could remember where in the logs.

"Ok say hypothetically we could open a wormhole. You're saying we send a message in Morse code?" Mike asked.

"I was thinking a data burst would be better. But we have the power and resources we could possible cut through the interference. What do you know about Atlantis's communication systems?" Hannah asked.

"That it's a little out of my field of expertise. You might want to talk to someone" Mike said to her. Hannah nodded and reluctantly knew who she had to call and tapped her ear piece. She had the choice between two people and decided the lesser of two evils.

"O'Neill to Demming come in" Hannah said on her radio.

_"Demming here, what do you need brown eyes?_" Demming drawled.

"I require your assistance in the Astrometrics lab" Hannah stated.

_"On my way, Demming out"_ Demming said.

* * *

><p>"So what's cooking good looking?" Demming asked as he came into the room 10 minutes later.<p>

"I assume he's calling you good looking" Mike said.

"Well you're a good looking man but I was referring to Hannah" Demming said, Mike nodded and looked to Hannah.

"We need him?" Mike asked just out of curiosity.

"It was him or McKay" Hannah commented.

"Good choice" Mike commented before he moved away to continue his work.

"I'm so happy I rank higher than McKay. So what am I doing here?" Demming asked. Hannah launched into what they had found about the sector of space and how the Daedalus would not be able to rescue the ship for some time due to the erratic and unpredictable weather patterns. She then told him of her and Mike's idea to possibly communicate with the ship if it crash landed on the habitable planet.

"Whoa slow down" Demming said holding up a hand. "What if their communication systems are down or dead then what?" He asked.

"Let's assume they aren't dead yet just that they crashed landed" Hannah stated calmly.

"Fine, so they crash land and they are alive but Magnetic Storm in interfering with long range communications and the operations of the ship. How are we going to get a message to them?" Demming asked folding his arms, he said it in a thoughtful manner than the demanding way McKay would have.

"Dr Johnson would have her computer which hopefully was detached from the ship's systems before they crashed. It will still work even in the storm because the planet's atmosphere will lessen the disruption of power. So I was thinking we override the safety protocols of DHD and then send a data burst repeated over and over for a half a minute before the DHD fries itself and possibly anyone nearby" Hannah said, Mike looked slightly put off by the idea of people being 'fried' while Demming considered it how viable the idea was.

"Colonel Carter wouldn't go for it" Demming said after a moment.

"It's the only idea I have. Tell her and see what she thinks and don't mention my name" Hannah said to Demming.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not supposed to be working, I'm on convalescence leave remember?" Hannah told him.

"Right! I forgot with your whole hard edges and professional exterior back on" Demming said with a smile. "I'm going to talk to the head cheese. I'll be back" he said and with that Demming left the room leaving Hannah and Mike alone again.

"How long will you be on convalescence leave?" Mike asked.

"About 6 months, thankfully Mr Carver worked it so I didn't have to spend all of it 'talking' with Heightmeyer" Hannah said with relief.

"So you're just going to hang around here for 6 months?" he asked.

"I was thinking about going to New Athos for a bit of that time but other than that I don't know. Any suggestions?" Hannah asked.

"I just figured you'd go back to Earth" he said.

"There's nothing there for me anymore" Hannah said.

"Not even to just travel?" he asked, Hannah smiled as she remembered her somewhat fond memories of travelling around the world. There had been a lot of drinking, poker and then there was the gruelling martial arts training.

"I'm not interested, I did the whole travel the world thing. I'm not sure what I want but ah running around the globe getting drunk and robbing people at poker tables doesn't appeal to me" Hannah said.

"Really" he said surprised she would be so hedonistic in her pursuits.

"Yeah, well how am I supposed to afford a week at Bauer Il Palazzo in a grand suite with a balacony overlooking the canals on a Lieutenant's wage?" Hannah asked Mike gave a low whistle looking impressed.

"Out of curiosity, how much does a Lieutenant make?" Mike asked.

"Not enough for the trip I took" Hannah scoffed with a smile. Mike couldn't help but smile at her as she seemed completely comfortable in that moment.

"The things I learn about you" Mike said.

"And yet you've barely scratched the surface" Hannah replied. As soon as the words left her mouth she realised how flirtatious it sounded. She felt her cheeks warm up as she looked away for a moment. Mike let a moment of silence pass between them while he smiled.

"I look forward to getting to know you and I'll have to take a holiday with you sometime I wouldn't mind a bit of luxury. Make a change from the backpackers" Mike said with a smile.

"Can we get back to this?" Hannah asked pointing to the holographic seen in front of them.

"Sure, what do you know about predicting space weather patterns?" Mike asked,

"Nothing"

"Well then this should be fun" Mike said.

* * *

><p>"So basically you're saying we can't fly in there and snap them up with the transporters" Colonel Caldwell said to Demming as he sat in Sam's office with Sheppard, Demming and McKay.<p>

"Right at this time the weather in that sector of space is unpredictable and Hannah says it will interfere with our technology" Demming said.

"Hannah?" Caldwell asked.

"O'Neill, I asked her to help Dr Branton" Sheppard said tentatively as Sam looked at him with something akin to frustration and anger.

"Isn't she supposed to be on convalescence and even then can we trust what she says in this matter? As far as I know she doesn't hold a degree in astrophysics" Caldwell asked he already knew Hannah had recovered her memories from the procedure. He was hesitant to take the word of someone who had been for all intents and purpose was a P.O.W. and turned soldier of the Ori for more than half a year. Even if she ended up bringing about the end of the Ori war, he still questioned the allegiance and sanity of such an individual.

"She doesn't have a degree in anything but that's not the point. Dr Branton agrees with her and he's crunched all the numbers. I also agree and looked over the work. If you try to go out there you'll end up dead in the water or worse" Demming assured him.

"Dr McKay?" Caldwell asked. It was unusual for the Canadian to be so quiet.

"They are right." McKay said.

"Ok so what are our options?" Sam asked.

"Well I have a crazy idea... well Hannah had a crazy idea" Demming said.

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"Well she believes she can override the safety protocols of the DHD to open a wormhole and possibly send a message" Demming said carefully he was already wincing in preparation for McKay to start ranting. McKay did not fail to perform.

"Is she insane?" McKay asked, Caldwell and Sheppard were not sure what was wrong with the idea but said nothing as they knew it wouldn't be long until they found out while Sam looked to be practising patience as she thought through the merits of the idea.

"I wouldn't ask her that but personally I think she appears to be in complete control of her mental faculties" Demming said.

"Can we get Miss O'Neill in here to tell us the full details?" Caldwell asked before McKay would go on his rant he hoped by the time Hannah showed up McKay would tell them the negatives of the plan before Hannah told them the positives.

"We can" Sheppard said.

* * *

><p>"Sorry" Hannah said stopping as she nearly ran into him. She had gotten a call from Sheppard to get her butt to Sam's office as soon as possible but with Ronon in the way progress had come to a halt. She took a couple of steps back putting space between them before she waited for him to step to the side like a gentleman should. But he didn't and she was running late so she tried to pass him but instead they did a dance of trying to pass one another and failing until Hannah stepped back and looked at him.<p>

"Ronon" Hannah said.

"Hannah" Ronon said as he looked down at her, silence lapsed between them before Hannah spoke.

"This is incredibly awkward" Hannah commented.

"I-" Ronon started but stopped when Hannah held up a hand silencing him.

"Don't its fine I get it. We don't know each other that well. You don't owe me anything or have to feel like you have to pretend we're something that we're not. We had some fun and you said all the right words afterwards. We parted ways. I ended up where I did and you here." Hannah rambled she stopped as she was pretty sure she had made an idiot of herself but hey how else was she supposed to deal with him. He had avoided her thus far which proved he wanted nothing to do with her. As the stupid book said 'he's just not that into you'.

He opened his mouth to talk but Hannah cut him off as she didn't want to fall victim to the 'you're a nice girl and blah blah' speech.

"I have to get going, Sheppard is waiting for me" Hannah said as she stepped to the side and made a grand gesture of letting him pass. Ronon was gobsmacked at Hannah's blow off. It was not how expected their first meeting after she left the infirmary. He closed his mouth and walked past her. She looked at him with complete disinterest wondering why he was trying to stare her down or at least that was his interpretation. It was confusing and unexpected and before he could think of a reason to detain her further she walked off. He watched her leave and noticed she didn't look back once as she headed to the nearest transporter.

Hannah stepped into the transporter and pressed for the gate room. When the doors closed she leaned her body against the wall and sighed as she hated how stupid she felt for having delusional fantasies about the man and imagining emotions that weren't there.

She was better off alone, it's not like she had anything left to offer in a relationship. She was riddled with anger, guilt and pain. She had to deal with her own issues before adding someone to the equation in a more intimate level than friendship.

When the doors opened Hannah pushed herself off the wall and headed out of the transporter and made her way to Sam's office.

"Sorry I'm late, busy transporter" Hannah said after she was waved into the office, she stood beside Demming and noticed how miffed McKay looked. Not to mention Sam who didn't look impressed by the fact that Hannah was involved in trying to help. She knew she was in trouble the only allies she had in the room were Sheppard and Demming. Caldwell played his cards close to his chest. But Hannah didn't know him well enough to gauge his character.

"That's fine, Mr Demming was telling us of your plan" Colonel Caldwell said. Hannah shot Demming a look as if to say 'I thought I told you not to say my name'. He gave an innocent shrug in reply.

"I was telling them about your idea and then McKay went into tirade about all the negatives of the idea" Demming said in a low voice to her.

"So, you covered the overloading the power systems and blowing out the DHD?" Hannah asked.

"Yup, he even said the Stargate would explode" Demming said.

"That's impossible, it would spark… a little dramatically" Hannah said casually.

"Please enlighten us on how your plan would work" McKay said dryly.

"Well, we override the safeties on the DHD to make a connection with Stargate orbiting the planet. The wormhole will be completely unstable for travel but to send a data burst it should be fine. I'm thinking hold it open for about half a minute and repeat the data burst over continuously. The comm. system on the puddle jumper if it hasn't been too badly damaged will be able to receive the data package in broken pieces and amalgamate it a whole message" Hannah explained.

"What good is it sending a message?" Caldwell asked.

"They'll know that we are coming for them" Sheppard said.

"Also Dr Branton is trying to predict the storm patterns. If we can predict two windows where there is a break in the storms we can fly a jumper through and pick them up. But until then they have to sit tight" Hannah said.

"If I were stranded I'd want to know help was on the way" Demming said.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Meanwhile on the Planet, Lorne looked out the open hatch of the puddle jumper at the swamp they had crashed into. It was lucky they had hit solid ground as he didn't want to abandon the Puddle Jumper unless it was absolutely necessary. They were lucky to be alive and with minor injuries, he only had a few bruised ribs and some scrapes while Megan had a bad head injury. It did not stop the woman from trying to repair the salvageable systems of the jumper and no matter how much he tried to persuade her to get some rest she would only stop to eat before going back to work.

He was impressed by her drive to finish her task but was worried about her health. He turned back when he heard Megan curse under her breath. He looked at his watch and noticed it was nearly dinnertime.

"Hey, you done trying to electrocute yourself for today?" Lorne asked in good natured manner as he watched Megan as she burned herself again trying to repair the comm. systems working. It was functional in a manner of speaking but their range was limited and the power was intermittent. She was trying to stabilise the power distribution between the comm. and sensors but it had been damaged in the crash.

"I've only been at it for like 24 hours" Megan said impatiently.

"I know, but it's time to take a break" Lorne said.

"I just have to bypass a couple of power relays and…" Megan drawled as she finished the bypass. She waited a few seconds and nothing sparked or exploded which was a good sign "We are back online" she said with smile as the control panels in the cockpit lit up.

"Well done" he said as he moved to the pilot's chair while Megan moved to the co-pilot's chair. She picked up her tablet computer and used it to bring up the Heads up display as the controls were damaged from the storm that had hit them. The screen appeared in front of them but showed nothing but static.

"Interesting" Megan commented as she looked at long range sensor results.

"What's wrong with it?" Lorne asked.

"There's magnetic interference. It messing with the sensors"

"What about the DHD?"

"Not going to work"

"Why not?"

"Stargate won't open and the DHD is burnt out anyway" Megan said as she pointed to the key pad that was black and melted in places.

"I was hoping we could use the computer" Lorne said.

"My Laptop is not a DHD" Megan snapped frustrated, her head hurt her whole body hurt and she was tired. She just wanted to curl up and cry but she held back as she didn't want Lorne to think she was weak.

"Ok then what next?" Lorne asked in a calm tone as he looked at her with worry.

"I don't know" Megan said exhausted as she pressed a hand to her head.

"You ok?" Lorne asked.

"Yeah, just have a headache" Megan said with a fatigued smile. She had a bad cut on her forehead where she had hit the control panel and a headache that hadn't left her when she woke up after their crash landing.

"So the comm. system is working right?" Lorne asked.

"Yes, but it's not like we can get a message out in this mess" She said gesturing to the static on the screen.

"But we'll be able to receive messages"

"Maybe"

"Well that's good news, we'll just hang out until Atlantis sends help or at least a message saying they are working on it and what we can do" Lorne said with a smile.

"Right so we do nothing?"

"Exactly, so why don't I fix us our dinner while you lie down" Lorne told her, Megan nodded as she placed the tablet computer on the burnt out control panel in front of her. She got up from her chair and moved to one of the long benches in the back of the Jumper and laid down.

* * *

><p>"Why are we still arguing this?" Hannah asked as she picked up a bottle of water from the buffet table and placed it on her tray in the mess hall.<p>

"Because I don't think you understand the seriousness of what you're suggesting" McKay told her as he followed her along the buffet line.

"It was a suggestion, a suggestion which was shot down and not even going to be used. Can we forget about it? or better yet why don't you take your victory and be modest for once in your life" Hannah said as she picked up a chocolate pudding cup placing it on her tray along with all the other foods she had chosen for dinner.

"It's not about winning" McKay told her.

"Really then maybe you should think of a better plan to save the day than argue about exploding stargates and unstable wormholes. Isn't that what you do? It's crunch time McKay you got any brilliant plans?" Hannah asked McKay sarcastically.

"You know you are a lot meaner than I remember" McKay said.

"Did you think I'd have my memories back and be all sunshine, lollipops and good times?" Hannah replied as she took a seat at an empty table.

"Yes" McKay replied.

"Is McKay still annoying you?" Laura asked as she sat down next to Hannah, She smiled and winked at McKay knowing that even after more than a year she still had the power to unnerve him. It was fun even though it was the result of one of the most unpleasant experiences of her life.

"Yes, he is" Hannah replied before she separated her knife and fork to eat.

"McKay, why do you have to mean to my friend?" Laura asked in a sweet tone. McKay made a face as he dug into his tray of food.

"Who's being mean?" Demming asked as he took a seat at the table.

"McKay" Laura and Hannah said in unison.

"Me? She's the one who's being a bitch" McKay said, Laura and Hannah stopped to look at McKay. Laura looked at him like she would kick McKay's ass. While Hannah looked at McKay with cold eyes.

"Oh you should not have gone there buddy. Rule number one about chicks is never call them the 'B' word. Never" Demming said.

"It's ok, I am being a bitch but hey I think I'm entitled to be bitchy while I work through my own issues don't you agree that I deserve the right to be angry and rude after being dismissed as though I am an completely unstable and unreliable. Where is the respect and appreciation due to me?" Hannah asked McKay.

"I don't know" McKay said as he hadn't thought of how his actions and the others in the room had affected Hannah.

"Exactly I'm not asking for a parade or a medal but just a tiny bit of respect and understanding wouldn't hurt" Hannah said.

"Well said" Demming said breaking the rather intense atmosphere that had descended at the table.

"So anyone got alcohol?" Hannah asked as she picked up her fork and continued to eat her dinner.

"I do" Demming said holding up a hand.

"Awesome, I need to get drunk" Hannah said with a smile as she desperately need to let go of everything around her and relax.

"I'm your man" Demming said with a smile.

"I have to work but I will drag your drunken ass home. I assume you'll be going to the East Pier?" Laura asked.

* * *

><p>"À votre santé" Hannah slurred.(*to your health*)<p>

"À la votre" Demming replied (*and to yours*) as he and Hannah clinked their shot glasses. It was their 6th round of whisky which they downed and then chased with beer.

"Fuck you're sexy when you speak a different language" Demming said, Hannah placed her glass on the floor beside her and giggled. They were sitting on the edge of the East Pier, Hannah swung her feet like a child as the Alcohol soothed and numbed all her inner pain and made her feel relaxed. She knew it was only temporary relief but she just needed a break and this one felt good.

"Keep dreaming that those lines will get you somewhere with me" Hannah said as she sighed.

"I will" he told her with an over confident smile making Hannah burst out laughing. "Keep laughing, a girl loves a man with a sense of humour" he told her.

After a few moments Hannah calmed down and picked up the bottle and poured out another round of shots.

"You remember when we got arrested for being in a bar fight?" Demming asked as he took the shot Hannah handed him.

"Yeah I remember saving your ass" Hannah said before she licked her thumb as she accidently splashed some whisky on her hand.

"I believe it was the other way round" Demming told her, Hannah shot him a look and he smiled "Fine you saved my ass" he conceded.

"Your point?" Hannah asked she waited for Demming to answer but his expression was blank.

"I can't remember" Demming said honestly. He blinked a couple of times and shook his head. "whatever thought I have is gone" he told her, Hannah laughed at him.

"I'll drink to that!" Hannah said raising her shot glass. Demming lifted his up and clinked it with hers and they tossed down their shots. Hannah gave a sigh of contentment feeling the burn of the whisky as it went down her throat.

"So what are you going to do?" Demming asked.

"What do you mean?" Hannah asked as she tilted her bottle of beer back to take a sip.

"Now that you're back. I kinda expected you to lock yourself up in Ronon's quarters and get busy with the man. You know banging the gong. It's what I'd be doing" Demming said, Hannah sprayed the beer in her mouth and sputtered. "I mean if I were you in this scenario. I personally have no attraction for the man or any man in fact" he assured her.

"It's not like that" Hannah said she took another sip of beer.

"Hannah, let me be serious for one moment" Demming said.

"Are you even capable of such a feat?" Hannah asked. He smiled and nodded waving his hand for her to lean in closer to him.

"You need to get laid" he told her, Hannah burst out laughing. "No don't laugh, hear me out" he said he moved into half lotus sitting position and faced her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Ok I can't wait for this one" Hannah said as she calmed herself and mirrored his postion by

"Look you need to physically release all this tension you're wound up tighter than a clock. It's only going to get worse and sex is a great form of release, it has many health benefits, it's comforting, it's fun and it can be uncomplicated. I personally think you are due many hours of uncomplicated fun" Demming told her.

"I dunno" Hannah drawled sceptically as the alcohol made her think that his reasoning didn't sound so bad. Actually she was starting to think how good it would be to feel that relief and have some fun to be cherished and the physical comfort.

"Look I get your hesitation, you got that girly fantasies that love is a necessary part of the equation for great sex but news flash it's not always the case. I've had loads of great sex with women who I didn't love. Now I tell you this because I think it's about time you had some hot sweaty delicious sex" Demming said with a smile.

He made it sound so enticing and delicious. It had been a long, long time since she had been kissed without thinking through the consequences she picked up the bottle of whisky and moved it out of the way.

"I'm not having sex with you" Hannah told him upfront as she climbed into his lap and straddled him.

"Wow you're giving me flashbacks to my high school days" Demming said as Hannah licked her lips and ran her hands up his arms to the sides of his face. She watched his eyes darken with lust as he was just as intoxicated as she and not minding her being where she was.

"Demming" Hannah whispered.

"Yeah" he breathed.

"Shut up" Hannah said as she lowered her head and captured Demming's lips with hers. She gasped in pain and pleasure as he pulled her tightly to his body, he took advantage of her gasp and swept his tongue between her lips and kissed her with pure unadulterated passion. Hannah told herself just a few more minutes would be enough but found herself further intoxicated by their whiskey and beer laced kisses. They were kisses of excitement, sin and fire. It wasn't until Demming's warm hands travelled under her top and up the skin of her back that she woke up from her pleasure induced state and broke the kiss.

"Wow better than High school" Demming said he removed his hands as he knew they were finished with their little interlude.

"I wouldn't know but I can definitely see your point of view" Hannah said as she extricated herself from Demming's hands and lap moving back to her original position of hanging her legs over the edge. She picked up her beer and took a sip smiling as it felt her body tingle with the pleasure of the kiss and being held like she were alive and desirable.

"Hey when you're ready for anything else no strings attached. You let me know" Demming said as he picked up the bottle of whisky and poured out two shots.

"Keep dreaming" Hannah said as they clinked shot glasses and downed their shots.

"I will. Now just keep in mind I could teach you things" Demming told her.

"Who says I don't already know all the tricks in the book?" Hannah teased raising an eyebrow before she took a pull of her beer.

"Oh you are a woman of mystery and intrigue" Demming drawled before chuckling.

* * *

><p>"What's that noise?" Sheppard asked as he put down his cup of decaf coffee looking at Ronon, they were having a late night snack in the mess which was empty bar the night kitchen staff and a couple of scientists. When Sheppard could of sworn he heard to people singing rather loudly in another language off in the distance but the noise was getting closer.<p>

"Singing?" Ronon said as the noise became clear that two people were singing which was definitely an odd noise for Atlantis. Sheppard's brow furrowed for a moment before he smiled and looked to the door of the mess waiting for the performers to arrive.

Without fail Hannah and Demming half walked half stumbled as they sang a song in French. In very slurred drunken French, Sheppard had thought it would be at least a week before Hannah indulged in an alcoholic beverage. He watched as Demming and Hannah sang to each other and burst into laughter as they found something hysterical. It was good to see her completely relaxed and having fun.

"I told you it's –" Hannah stopped mid sentence and noticed Sheppard and Ronon watching them. "Hey!" Hannah slurred she picked up a bottle of water and walked haphazardly to their table. Sheppard and Ronon tried not the laugh as she tripped on the stairs. She giggled at herself and managed to stay upright to make it to the table unharmed. She plonked herself down in the chair next to Sheppard.

"What you doing up?" Hannah asked Sheppard. Her cheeks were rosy red and her smile was the brightest Sheppard had seen it in the past few weeks.

"Late night snack" Sheppard said as he pushed the bowl of grapes in offering to Hannah.

"Ah, no progress on Major Lorne?" Hannah slurred as she stretched her arms abover her head for a moment.

"None, but you seemed to have made progress into a bottle of whisky with some beer if I'm not mistaken" Sheppard said with amused smile he could smell the beer and whisky before she sat down.

"Yes, Demming and I indulged. Speak of the devil!" Hannah said as Demming took a seat opposite her next to Ronon.

"Sheppard, Ronon" Demming said with a nod as he held up a cup of coffee. He seemed to be holding his liquor just a little better than Hannah.

"Demming, you got my girl drunk" Sheppard said.

"She needed to loosen up" Demming said with a wink to Hannah who smiled jovially from the alcohol.

"You guys did clean up after yourselves right" Sheppard asked as he didn't want to have Sam making noise about cracking down on drinking in Atlantis. It was futile to stop people drinking.

"Did we ever!" Hannah said rolling her eyes "Six pack and bottle of whisky, the bottles disposed of in recycling" Hannah told him.

"Fist bump for keeping Atlantis green and clean" Demming said, Hannah shook her head but fist bumped him so he wouldn't pout. "I love her drunk, she calls me better names and smiles more. Can we keep her this way forever?" he asked.

"No" Sheppard said with amusement as he looked at Ronon's mixture of amusement and envy with possible jealousy mixed in. Demming was known to be a player around the base. He was so openly honest that women didn't mind indulging his flirtations or his company when they didn't want any strings attached.

"_So what's the deal with the death stares from big man?"_ Demming asked Hannah in French.

"_Don't ask me, he's all mixed messages so I told him I understood the past was a onetime thing. He's the one who is can't make up his mind. Just ignore it now laugh like I said something hysterical_" Hannah replied in French she smiled and they both laughed which only left Ronon and Sheppard exchanging shrugs as they didn't understand French and figured it was a drunk thing.

"Ah Good times" Demming said as he calmed down from his laughter.

"What are?" Sheppard asked.

"I reminded Hannah of the time we got arrested" Demming said, Hannah giggled at the memory and then sighed.

"Speaking of, I could really go for a pizza" Hannah said.

"Shame Pizza Hut doesn't deliver to the Pegasus Galaxy" Sheppard said, Hannah wrapped her arms around Sheppard's and closed her eyes.

"I think it's time you went to bed" Sheppard said nudging Hannah she shook her head as she leaned heavily on him.

"Nope, I'm waiting for Laura to get off duty" Hannah said as she opened her eyes letting them lazily drift between Ronon and Demming. She had to admit she still found Ronon attractive but he was so confusing to her. But then she was a mess, a big mess she really had to work out her issues before she could make any move. It became abundantly clear to her that she needed to leave Atlantis as she wouldn't get any clarity on her life and resolved her issues unless she distanced herself from everything that was mudding her thoughts.

She knew the only place she could go and be safe would be New Athos. Earth had too much history and politics, Atlantis had all the people she was having trouble reconciling with and the politics were getting to her. She needed to clear her head without people trying to sway her.

"How long until she gets off duty?" Sheppard asked.

"What's the time?" Hannah asked.

"Quarter to twelve" Sheppard said looking at his watch.

"15 minutes" Hannah said she sat up and felt Sheppard's arm on her way. "Someone has been working out a little harder at the gym" Hannah said to him, Sheppard chuckled.

"Well you know I like to keep in shape for the ladies" He told her in amused tone as he looked to Ronon who didn't look amused at all.

"I'm sure it's working for them" Hannah said tongue in cheek. She took Demming's half empty cup of coffee and drained the last of the contents before handing it back to him.

"By all means have a sip" Demming said looking down at his empty cup. He pushed himself up making moves to get a refill.

"Hey, could you grab me a cup of coffee and a couple biscuits please?" Hannah asked,

"For you my love? anything" Demming said with a bow as he left them. Hannah laughed as Demming clicked his heels together and walked with an exaggerated swagger.

"That guy is a card" Hannah mused before she looked back to Ronon and Sheppard who were both looking at her with curious looks. "What?"

"Nothing" Sheppard said.

"Oh we need to talk tomorrow" Hannah said.

"Why not now?" Sheppard asked.

"I'm drunk and I need to talk to you in private. It's not something that should be talked about in the mess hall either" Hannah told him before taking a sip of water.

"Okay, I'll drop by your place in the morning around 10?" Sheppard offered wondering what she wanted to tell him.

"Yes, though you'll have to remind me that it's important. Don't worry it's unrelated to Major Lorne and Dr Johnson's situation" Hannah told him, Demming returned to the table and placed a cup of black coffee in front of Hannah with three large triple chocolate biscuits.

"Thank you Demming" Hannah said as she took a sip of the hot coffee , she broke up one of her biscuits into bite size pieces and began eating it with a satisfied smile as it was delicious.

"Anytime" Demming said with a wink Hannah smirked as Demming did not change. She kind of liked how there was no awkward air between them even though they had shared an incredibly hot kiss less than twenty minutes ago on the East Pier. If anything it was like it didn't happen at all.

Ronon on the other side of the table watched Hannah eat her biscuits and drink the coffee. She looked so beautiful when she was relaxed even if it was alcohol induced. She was smiling as whatever was weighing her down was numbed by the alcohol. He had come to the realisation early that his earlier indecision had truly bit him in the ass. He wanted her but now he wasn't sure how he was supposed to approach her. At least he knew now was not the time.

Also there was something about Demming and Hannah together drinking that he didn't like. He knew they were friends and Sheppard had never said anything about the two of them being anything more than friends. But Demming looked way too smug and too satisfied for a friend who went drinking with another supposed friend. At least Hannah showed no serious attachment to Demming which Ronon took as a sign that maybe he still had time to get her before she completely moved or became attached with any other man on Atlantis.

* * *

><p>TBC- I'll try to update weekly like I said previously :-)<p> 


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"What? you tell me this now?" Sheppard said in a low voice to Hannah as he knew she was suffering a bad hangover and Laura was currently sleeping in her room. He knew the woman had worked a long shift and needed the rest. Whereas Hannah he wanted to shake some sense into her for keeping something like this from him.

"It's not exactly time sensitive" Hannah said as she cradled her head in hands. She had a major hangover from the whisky and beer. It was completely worth it except for Sheppard's freak out about Wallace.

"Oh you think having double agents running around Atlantis. Lucian alliance no less is not time sensitive information?" Sheppard asked dryly.

"Well I figured you wouldn't believe me" Hannah said defensively.

"Why not?"

"Umm because Colonel Carter won't believe me and she won't believe you without proof. Proof that in her mind isn't exactly reliable since Wallace and I have a history of him being a dick and me kicking his ass" Hannah said.

"Look, I know yesterday in Carter's office wasn't exactly the best meeting"

"Really? They looked at me like I wasn't-" Hannah stopped "I'm sick of being treated like I'm not human, like they can't trust me or what I say. I know what I remember, I never killed anyone from the SGC… he said I killed his friends so unless he is an ORI soldier. He's gotta be Lucian alliance." Hannah said she got up from the couch and started to pace.

"Ok how do we prove it?"

"I don't know, but Wallace isn't smart so it shouldn't be too hard. Look at his background, financials who he's friends with" Hannah said as she paced the floors.

"Why don't we get you some breakfast?" Sheppard suggested.

* * *

><p>"You know when I said breakfast I was thinking something a little more edible. You know pancakes, bacon" Sheppard drawled as they were in the galley. Hannah pottered around the kitchen. Those on duty were watching in curiosity as Hannah pulled a glass and started making a concoction.<p>

"What are you making?" Sheppard asked.

"Prairie Oyster. Some tomato juice, one raw egg: whole" Hannah listed as she cracked the egg shell letting the raw egg drop in, yolk whole "Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce and a little salt and pepper to taste" she said. Sheppard swallowed as his gag reflex was playing up just looking at it the glass watching the raw egg just mix in with ingredients in the glass.

"It looks foul" Sheppard said he nearly gagged and winced as he watched Hannah skulled the drink.

"My hangover is foul" Hannah told him as she placed the empty glass on the table. She sighed as she placed the dirty glass on a rack of other dirty dishes. She quickly returned to other items to their places.

"Feel better?" Sheppard asked.

"Meh the haze will clear eventually. I need to go see Colonel Carter" Hannah said changing topics. She walked out of the Kitchen thanking the chefs as she picked up a blueberry muffin nd headed towards the nearest transporter.

"What about?" Sheppard asked as he followed her. Hannah was all over the place which was not like her.

"Not what we were talking about earlier. I'm leaving Atlantis for a while" Hannah said as they stepped into the transporter. Hannah pressed the map and then halved the muffin.

"You only got back" Sheppard said as he waved off having half of the muffin she offered.

"I know" Hannah said before she took a bite of the muffin.

"Then why are you going?" Sheppard asked. Hannah swallowed the bite and looked at him head on.

"Because I need to clear my head and work through some things and I can't do it here. I thought I could but you know I can't. New Athos is a safe haven for me" Hannah told him.

"It can't wait until after we get Lorne and Dr Johnson back?" Sheppard asked as they stepped out of the transporter.

"You don't need me to hold your hand and I'm not a recognised member of this expedition. My opinions and ideas are not welcome or even given the slightest consideration. I also can't help you with Wallace either. I'm biased and it won't look good, everything I touch becomes unusable because I'm a crackpot" Hannah told him, he knew what she was saying.

He didn't miss Caldwell and Sam's lack of courtesy and respect the other day. McKay he understood as the man was always thinking worst case scenario and shorting out their DHD and cutting themselves off was not something even Sheppard wanted to entertain but he did have the courtesy and good manners to listen to Hannah's idea and not look at her like she was suggesting they flying leap off the highest balcony.

"I welcome your opinions and you're smart. I want you here" he told her.

"Sheppard, you know I love you right?" Hannah said as she took another bite of her muffin.

"Yeah" Sheppard said uncomfortably as he rubbed the back of his neck. Hannah smiled as she knew he was uncomfortable with emotions and verbal expressions of emotion.

"I just need a few weeks with fresh air and hard labour to work this out of my system. I'm not going anywhere except to New Athos." Hannah told him.

"Ok but I'm going to check in on you" Sheppard told her pointing a finger at her.

"And I will look forward to sharing a stout tea at dawn with you when you do" Hannah told him.

* * *

><p>"You can't go" Sam said to Hannah as she signed off reports on her tablet computer. Hannah and Sheppard stood in her office together. Hannah finished eating her muffin while talking with Chuck and Sheppard as Sam had been in a meeting with Lt Kemp and Teyla. The two had taken over diplomatic missions while Sheppard waited out the situation of Lorne and Megan and ran the Military day to day business of his job which he usually halved with Lorne.<p>

Once Lt Kemp and Teyla left Hannah and Sheppard went in. They proceeded with small talk and then Hannah laid down the request to leave while Sam had spent most of the meeting uncharacteristically looking at her tablet computer. She seemed to be having issues looking at Hannah.

"You mean you won't let me leave" Hannah said in a cold tone.

"Hannah" Sam started only to be cut off. She didn't look up, there was something about Hannah's eyes that cut her up. They looked so incredibly haunted like she had lived for over 100 years and none of them had been peaceful.

"No it's fine. I get it I'm a prisoner until I decide to play by your rules. I guess it's lucky that I'm being fed and treated kindly instead of being starved and tortured." Hannah said folding her arms and turning to face the windows of Sam's office.

"What if she doesn't go alone?" Sheppard offered as he really didn't want this blowing out of control. He really wanted Hannah to stay but he understood she needed to get back into the right headspace something she couldn't do on Atlantis where she was in limbo. She couldn't work but Hannah couldn't sit around and do nothing.

"You can't leave Sheppard we have people missing and I have no one to replace you" Sam said as she finally put her computer down. It seemed she liked the idea of sending an escort with Hannah.

"What about Ronon?" Sheppard offered. He knew he was volunteering Ronon without his permission and there was a probably chance Hannah might kill him. She had whirled around and shot him a look which he interpreted to be her dark look. He was trying to find middle ground which meant compromising. Ronon was a good choice, he wasn't part of the military so he didn't have any duties and he knew Ronon got along with the Athosians for most part. He wouldn't be missed and they could always call him back.

"No" Hannah said flatly.

"Actually" Sam said in considering tone at the same time, she was about to continue but Hannah spoke over her.

"No, I'm not going to have a babysitter. It's insulting" Hannah said.

"Look, Ronon is sitting on his hands until Major Lorne comes back and we can resume normal activities again. He has no skills to help us here but you know he can help the Athosians with their harvest and keep an eye on Hannah. If she does anything out of character or violent he'll just stun her" Sheppard said with a smile.

"Wow, I'd rather have Teyla" Hannah said dryly.

"Teyla is currently helping Lieutenant Kemp with diplomatic missions to three more planets in the next few weeks" Sheppard said.

"I will agree to you going to New Athos if Ronon is with you and you check in every second day" Sam said conceding but then she was hoping whatever reason Hannah didn't want to go with Ronon would stop her from going.

"Seriously?" Hannah asked.

"Yes, you feel you have to leave well I need reassurances you're safe" Sam said.

"Oh and the word of Halling and the Athosians is not enough for you?" Hannah asked.

"Hannah, I understand you don't want to leave the Pegasus galaxy and you obviously don't feel we are equipped here for your needs" Sam said diplomatically.

"I don't need a headshrinker. They think because they went to college for 6 years and read a bunch of books makes them qualified to make assumptions of my mental health and we all know how psy-notes in a file it's like being marked as damaged and it follows you"

"Ok it's settled I'll get Ronon to pack a bag and meet you at the gate in an hour" Sheppard said to Hannah.

"Excellent" Hannah said getting up from her chair. "Thank you for allowing me to take up your time Colonel Carter" She said. Sam felt horrible at hearing Hannah use her formal title. She knew she was not dealing with Hannah well at all. But then she wasn't sure how to talk to Hannah or even approach her.

* * *

><p>"You're leaving" Laura said as she watched Hannah pull out a small duffel bag and some clothes tossing them onto the bed.<p>

"Yep" Hannah said as she changed into her Athosian clothing and packed the small duffel bag.

"Why?" Laura asked as sat on Hannah's bed, helping Hannah pack her duffel.

"I need space… not from you but from Atlantis" Hannah told her.

"You know you're giving me abandonment issues here" Laura told her with a playful pout as she looked through Hannah's bag.

"Then take time off and come with me… You would be better company than Ronon" Hannah said.

"Ronon is going?" Laura asked surprised.

"He's my babysitter"

"You sound like you're already plotting his death" Laura drawled in an amused tone, she wondered if it was Sheppard's idea or if Ronon had volunteered.

"It's always good to have a backup plan" Hannah said with a sigh.

"I thought you liked him"

"Yeah but you know he was all hot and cold… it's all weird and I kissed Demming" Hannah said.

"You what?" Laura asked doing a double take as she wasn't sure she heard Hannah right.

"It was a drunken thing and it was just one kiss and nothing more" Hannah clarified.

"Shame because I hear he is really good in bed" Laura said with a sly smile.

"That doesn't surprise me" Hannah said.

"So now he's after you too?" Laura asked casually as she had no love life of her own she might as well live vicariously through Hannah's.

"No, we're the same as we were before. It was just for fun" Hannah said.

"Fun, I like it when you say fun" Laura said with a smile as she had told Hannah that she should have fun and Demming wasn't a bad choice for having fun with.

"Maybe you should hook up with him" Hannah said.

"What? no!" Laura said shaking her head adamantly.

"Why not?" Hannah asked.

"Not interested in a fling and that's what Demming is… he's the guy you have a fling with and smile about sometimes in your old age… he's not the guy you want to settle down and have kids with." Laura said.

"True, he's not really there yet himself"

"What about Branton?" Laura asked, as she had noticed the two got along rather well together.

"He's a friend" Hannah said and Laura believed her as she spoke so honestly about it.

"Yeah?" Laura asked double checking.

"Definitely. Why? Do you want me to set you two up?" Hannah asked innocently.

"I think I can get my own date" Laura said dryly.

"He likes movies and he's very caring and he's funny not to mention tall, lean and handsome. Not in the Military" Hannah said she continued to list out Mike Branton's good qualities "You should think about it, he's a great guy" Hannah told her.

"Oh I get right on it, clear my afternoon and everything" Laura said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes at Hannah. Hannah chuckled at her and picked up the duffel bag.

"Good. So you'll come visit me on New Athos?" Hannah asked as they walked to the door.

"Definitely, harvest festival in two weeks. I already have two days off for my hangover" Laura told her.

* * *

><p>Hannah stepped out of the transporter and walked up to stand next to Sheppard and Ronon who were already waiting for them. Ronon wore a long sleeved navy caftan top with brown pants. He looked good, even if a little awkward in her presence as he picked his bag off the floor.<p>

"Gentlemen" Hannah said in greeting. She kept her composure and remained calm though she felt like a jack rabbit ready to run. Why did she agree to this insanity the whole point of going to New Athos was to get away from her problems not have them follow her.

"You ready?" Sheppard asked Hannah.

"Yeah I'm going to New Athos not climbing the Matterhorn or making history" Hannah told Sheppard in a dry tone.

"You never know, the Athosians have only been there for six months I'm sure you could make some history" Sheppard said in a teasing fashion, he made the motion for the Stargate to be dialled.

"Yeah, been there done that" Hannah said unimpressed at the idea. The two men looked at her oddly. "First naked woman to fall from the sky" She reminded them.

"True there really isn't anything you could do to top that" Sheppard said thoughtfully.

"Exactly, so I'll just have that one claim to fame" Hannah said, the Stargate activated and the wormhole established. Sheppard pulled out a radio, and a GDO handing them to Hannah.

"Just in case you need to get back home and Ronon is dead" Sheppard told her. Ronon gave him an odd look as he had no intention of dying.

"Thank you" Hannah said as she pocketed the items.

"Well you kids have fun. No wild parties, no drugs and definitely remember abstinence is key" he said in a parental tone to Hannah who burst out laughing at the last part about abstinence.

"Ok, I see you when I see you" Hannah said as she smiled and turned on her feet and headed through the gate.

"I'll call in two days" Ronon said to Sheppard.

"Just remember what we talked about." Sheppard said before patting Ronon on the shoulder. Ronon shot him a look before nodding and following Hannah through the stargate.

When Ronon stepped out the other side he was greeted by the sounds, smells and sights of New Athos. He looked up at the sky it was a beautiful day, the sky was clear without a cloud in the sky. He liked New Athos it gave him a break from Atlantis, he was able to enjoy the forest and being surrounded by nature instead of steel walls all the time. He took a deep breath and looked for Hannah and saw her speaking with Halling in hushed tones. He watched as a sad smile played on her face and Halling laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. They nodded in agreement to something before Halling walked toward Ronon.

"Ronon, it's been many moons since we last had you here. I hope you are well" Halling said in greeting.

"Yes, thank you and yourself?" he asked out of courtesy.

"Very well my friend, come we should get you both settled in before the midday meal" Halling said.

* * *

><p>"This planet is creepy" Megan said looking out the back hatch of the puddle jumper at the eerie fog that kept getting thicker.<p>

"Well I wouldn't build my summer home here" Lorne said as he watched her from his side of the jumper. Megan had her knees pulled up to her chest making herself as small as possible. He could tell she was keeping a brave face on, some people weren't cut out for their lifestyle and the dangers and others adapted.

"Why haven't they come for us or at least sent a message?" Megan asked, she knew he didn't have the answers and she was just airing her frustration at being stranded.

"I don't know but don't worry Sheppard never leaves anyone behind if he can help it" Lorne said.

"Oh I have a really bad headache, I'm tired and we are stranded on Dagobah without any more ibuprofen" Megan griped as she held her forehead in pain.

"Dagobah?" Lorne asked as he moved to her side to check her vitals and her wound.

"The planet where Yoda lives. Star Wars" Megan said as Lorne checked her pulse and pupils.

"Haven't seen it" Lorne said. Megan's jaw dropped.

"You haven't seen Star Wars" She said in disbelief.

"Not a big fan of TV" Lorne said.

"Or movies it seems" Megan commented. Lorne gave a shrug not offended.

"I prefer books, now lie down and close your eyes" he told her.

"Excuse me?" Megan asked as Lorne moved up the bench and placed the pillow and patted it indicated for her head to go there.

"Trust me" Lorne said Megan laid down on her back and closed her eyes. He placed his fingers on the sides of her face at her temples and slowly began to massage the area. He was careful not to aggravate the wound as he applied more pressure.

"Oh that feels good" Megan said with sigh as she relaxed under his ministrations.

* * *

><p>They had made it to the settlement and it didn't take long before they were approached by one of the elders. The woman made a beeline straight for Hannah.<p>

"Perdita" the Elder said. Ronon had been introduced to the 5'6 woman in her late 60's a long time ago. Her name was Mika, he imagined Teyla would look exactly like her in 30 or so years. As the woman had the same skin as Teyla but her hair was greyer than brown and her eyes hazel. Hannah smiled as she closed the gap between herself and the elder.

"Mika" Hannah said warmly as she touched foreheads with the old woman.

"It is good to see you well my child" Mika said as she touched a hand gently to the side of her face. She smiled a knowing smile "It seems you have regained all of who you are but still you are lost as the day you came to us" she said in a sage tone.

"Can't hide anything from you" Hannah said as Mika patted her hand like she were a small child needing reassurance.

"Indeed you cannot" Mika said she looked past her to Ronon and sized him up. "Back again are we Ronon?" she asked as her eyes roved over him as if inspecting him for something, he had no idea what though. She was also annoyingly intuitive.

"I am" Ronon said he kept his façade calm and detached but the way the woman stared at him was unnerving.

"Loquacious as always" Mika drawled sarcastically. Hannah smothered a smile as Ronon let the comment slide.

"I was getting them settled into Teyla's dwellings" Halling said. Mika nodded before turning to Hannah.

"Perdita, you will sit next to me at midday meal" Mika told her.

"I would be honoured" Hannah replied.

"Until then" Mika said, she walked off leaving them but turned around and called "Oh and Perdita"

Hannah turned around and looked at the woman "It is not until we are lost that we truly begin to understand who we really are" Mika told her.

* * *

><p>TBC-Hopefully see ya all in a week!<p> 


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Two weeks later, Hannah jerked upright in bed and gasped in pain as her ribs protested the movement. She swung her legs over the edge of the cot and leaned over catching her breath as quietly as she could. She didn't know what was worse the nightmares or the pain of her injuries. Both were incredibly annoying and she wished they just like Ronon would go away.

"Another nightmare?" Ronon asked from his own cot. He always thought he had the cornerstone on having nightmares it was why he opted to rest in shorter bursts of time.

"Don't you ever sleep?" Hannah grumbled as she was having difficulty breathing. It wasn't the first time she had woken up in the middle of the night. Something about his presence disturbed her. It was the way he treated her with indifference one moment then smothered her with care and attention the next.

"No" he replied as he got up from his cot and moved to kneel down in front of her. He pushed her upper body up by her arms so she was sitting upright.

"Take slow easy breaths" Ronon told her. His hands were hot against her skin, burning her as she remembered memories or more like delusional fantasies she had while having her mind and body 'cleansed' by the Ori. What kept her semi sane then was now killing her as it just made her feel vulnerable, raw and incredibly foolish that she had been so messed up to believe it to be a reality.

"I know" Hannah said darkly as she pulled away from his touch only for him to grab her in a show of force that he'd care for her if it was the last thing he'd do.

"You don't need to hostile with me" he said impatiently.

"Really" Hannah said with a dry smile, her tone spoke volumes to him as he knew she was begging for a fight.

"Come on lay back down" Ronon told her as he moved to her side to assist her.

"I can lie back on my own. I don't need you holding my hand or helping me" Hannah said Ronon held onto her arm, not listening to her as he pushed her back onto the bed. It wasn't new he'd been cotton balling her for the past two weeks not letting her do anything too strenuous or even allow her a moment of alone except for when she bathed or had to reply to nature's call. She was ready to kill him and it was no secret to the Athosians. The two didn't get into fights and pull fists per say but the energy around them was less than friendly and crackled with tension.

"I know" he said.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you here?" She asked him. It was a question he had asked himself on many times since they had been on New Athos.

"Because Sheppard said you needed someone to watch over you" Ronon told her. It was the stock standard answer he gave every time as he didn't have a better answer and his silence only made her angrier.

"And you're just such a good Samaritan?" Hannah remarked darkly.

"Does it help you to be this angry all the time?" Ronon asked her. He pulled the blanket over her and tucking her in.

"Yes" Hannah bite out as hot tears burned her eyes. She pushed the blanket away to her waist. She was restless and the last thing she wanted to do was lie back. She needed to walk, clear her mind anything but stay in her current dwellings with Ronon. She gave a sigh as she slumped into the bed.

"You want something to drink?" he asked her.

"Is is alcoholic?" She asked.

"No" he told her.

"Then no, please just go back to bed. Ignore me" Hannah told him. Ronon looked at her quietly as he kept control of himself. He wasn't going to ignore her, how could he after all the nights he listened to her toss and turn in her sleep. The nights she would scream out in pain, he tried to console her but she woke up with so much anger in her that it wasn't easy. He thought his nightmares from being a runner were horrific but it felt like child's play in comparison to what Hannah had gone through.

It also made her a lot meaner as she had a lot of anger that when she got going she made him want to throttle her. But he never laid a hand on her in anger as he knew it wasn't personal she just wanted him to fight her because she felt she deserved to be punished. He knew that because he had been in that head space before. If anything he wanted to pull her into his body and protect her, to comfort her but she wasn't going to have any of it.

She looked up at the ceiling of the hut and he saw the tears roll down the sides of her face against her will.

"I won't ignore you" he told her.

"I wish you would, it would make things so much easier" She told him in a low voice, she turned her head away from him and he knew she wanted to be left alone. So he moved back to his cot and laid back down, knowing he wouldn't sleep for a while as he listened to Hannah's breathing.

* * *

><p>A few hours later on Atlantis,<p>

"So how do you think Ronon and Hannah are doing?" Sheppard asked Teyla as they waited for the gate to dial to New Athos. He wore an amused smile as he was looking forward to spending an evening celebrating with the Athosians and also seeing how Ronon and Hannah were faring with each other.

"I spoke with Halling the day before last. He believes they might kill one another soon perhaps I should take Ronon's place for a few days" Teyla said as the gate activated.

"Ok but just for the record if those two had it out. My money's on Hannah." Sheppard said, Teyla rolled her eyes at him and proceeded through the Stargate.

When they stepped out the other side of the gate they were greeted by Halling and Hannah but Ronon was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Ronon?" Sheppard asked after they exchanged salutations and started walking to the main settlement.

"He is helping the men move a stump from one of the new fields" Halling said in a calm manner as they walked but it wasn't hard to miss the grateful note in his tone. Obviously Hannah and Ronon were wearing on the Athosians more than Halling would admit to Teyla. Something Sheppard had thought was impossible as they were the most patient people he had met.

"I heard things haven't been so copacetic between you and Ronon" Sheppard said as he fell into step with Hannah, she gave a tilt of the head and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah well he treats me like an invalid and is driving me insane. Can't you swap him with someone who won't drive me to commit murder?" Hannah asked dryly.

"Teyla is taking over for a few days. I'd hate to drive you to murder my best friend" Sheppard joked. He had hoped the two would be getting along better than they were. So much for the idea of matchmaking the two together, though the idea of stuffing them into a room and leaving them for a few days to sort themselves out did have its appeal.

"Thank you" Hannah said with a grateful sigh as they continued to walk.

* * *

><p>"Demming, how long do we need to be here for one or two more days?" Kemp asked as he sat down at their newly constructed fire place in their campsite for the night. Demming was bsily tapping away on his tablet computer and pursed his lips for a moment.<p>

"One night" he replied as he was not actually doing his job. He was supposed to be surveying the planet for its viability as a possible off world base for the expedition a back up for their 'alpha' site. It never hurt to have a stash of safe planets and as planets went this one was pleasant. It looked like all the other planets, had fresh air and water, no habitants but some wildlife. There was an odd looking ostrich animal that a couple of Kemp's men were attempting to hunt for dinner.

In his defence he did the survey and it took just a couple of hours but he needed them to stay off world so he could work on the equations to open a stable wormhole to the spacegate above the planet where Megan and Lorne were. Something he had been ordered to leave alone as Colonel Carter said they would have to stick it out. Something Demming wasn't a fan of as he liked Lorne in a platonic manner and Megan was cute. But to be really honest he just like the inherent danger and brain power to figure out the puzzle to get them back earlier. He also knew if he could finish it tonight it would make 'commandeering' a puddle jumper that much easier.

"Ok, so what are you doing?" Kemp asked him. Demming looked up from his screen to the Lieutenant glad that the man didn't hold a degree in anything that might allow him to understand what Demming was doing.

"I'm imputing all of the data from today and hey maybe tonight we'll find out what wacky nocturnal animals live in this forest" Demming said to Kemp in such a smooth manner the Lieutenant gave an uneasy smile. It was only a few months ago the man had been bitten by a turtle looking creature while on a night patrol off world. Kemp ended up being quarantined and ordered to not 'pet' the local wildlife no matter how 'harmless' looking it was.

"Right, I'll leave you to it" Kemp said.

"Appreciated" Demming said before he went back to work.

* * *

><p>Hours later, the sun had set on New Athos and the celebrations were in full swing.<p>

"So where's Laura?" Hannah asked as she refilled Sheppard's cup and hers with booze. They sat in the main tent with all the other Athosians. The side flaps were open and outside there was a large bonfire ad music playing as people danced, laughed, mingled and drank to there success.

"That's the third time you've asked me. Daedalus was called back to Earth, she had to go" Sheppard said, they had been drinking and eating solidly since the sun went down. It felt good to unwind and to be in Hannah's company as she was always good company.

"Damn, I was looking forward to seeing her. What's going on with Lorne and Megan situation?" Hannah asked as she took a sip of her ruus wine enjoying the burn as it scorched down her throat and floating feeling it gave her body. It was like every fibre of her being was giving a collective sigh of relaxation.

"Still stuck on the planet. McKay estimates the storm will pass in eight months; a year at max. Colonel Carter says that we'll mount a rescue op when it lightens up" Sheppard told her as he took a sip and placed the cup down on the table.

"Seriously? What about the calculating two windows of good weather and going?" Hannah asked as she refilled Sheppard's glass again. He had yet to see the bottom of cup as Hannah kept refilling it before he got it halfway. If it were any other woman he'd think she were trying to get him blind drunk to have her way with him but he knew he was safe from Hannah.

"Too dangerous, your mom won't give it the stamp of approval" he told her.

"What a copout. Ronon?" Hannah asked as she held the jug offering to refill his. Ronon who was sitting next to Teyla across the table gave a nod and Hannah smiled as she topped up his cup.

"Why don't you just go ahead and go after them Sheppard? Not the first time we've broken the rules" Ronon said he looked at Hannah wishing the woman would pace herself instead of trying to drink herself and Sheppard into early comas. He on the other hand was fine but then he could hold his liquor unlike Sheppard. If anything at least Hannah was smiling and sociable even if the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Hmm yeah I could do it" Hannah said after she drained half of her glass. She looked actually excited at the prospect.

"No" Sheppard and Ronon said in unison. Teyla and Sheppard looked surprised while Hannah rolled her eyes and looked to Sheppard.

"Awwh come on, it wouldn't take much but I'd need Demming and a Jumper" Hannah said needling Sheppard in the hopes he would change his mind and approve. She could already see the events playing in her mind and felt her odds were good. "I could save them" she said.

"No, I don't want your mom getting angry with me and anyway Demming has been scheduled for off world missions to keep him away from the project" Sheppard told her. Hannah turned and looked at him intently.

"Come on, tell me what planet is he on?" Hannah asked Sheppard. He smiled as he locked eyes with her, he leaned in so close it made Ronon's palms itch to reach across the table and pull Sheppard back. But he didn't he just watched on and squashed the possessiveness he felt towards Hannah and ignored it.

"One in the Pegasus galaxy" Sheppard said with a smile and Hannah shook her head at him.

"Well that narrows it down" Hannah replied sarcastically. Sheppard laughed and pulled back giving a half shrug before turning back to the table. He continued to smile as he didn't miss Ronon's glare.

"Anyway let's not talk about this. Tonight is about celebrating and you might want to slow down there Hannah, we haven't even gotten to dessert" Sheppard said as Hannah was already topping up her cup.

"It is the Harvest festival it's all about drinking and celebrating another successful harvest! Isn't that right Teyla?" Hannah asked Teyla.

"Indeed it is" Teyla remarked with a warm smile as she nursed her drink.

* * *

><p>Demming sat at the camp fire with his tablet computer typing away and working on trying to figure out how to disable the safety protocols in the DHD system. It was hard as he wasn't sure what he was looking for. At least he had everything else figured out but it was still frustrating, all he needed was Hannah but no Colonel Carter told him he couldn't do it or drag Hannah with him. He needed the woman to help him and he knew Hannah would do it. She was all for helping people and at the moment completely unbalanced to the point she would risk her life to save Major Lorne and Megan from spending the rest of their lives on a swamp planet.<p>

"Doc, you might want to call it quits and get some rest" Lieutenant Kemp told him.

"Another 5 minutes" Demming said.

"alright, well I'm gonna hit the rack. Stallings you take first watch" Kemp ordered. Stallings nodded and got to his feet and moved to the edge of the camp. Demming kept his head down and continued looking at the algorithms for the DHD program while surreptitiously watching the other soldiers go to the tents. He pursed his lips as an idea came to him and wondered if he could get to the jumper parked at the side of the camp site without Stallings raising the alarm.

He weighed the odds and decided why not take the chance. He turned off his computer and casually walked to Jumper amazed at how easy it was as Stallings didn't even look his way. He punched the aft door button and closed the back compartment and raced to controls and activated the jumper.

"Demming, where you going?" Kemp's voice asked over the radio, but Demming didn't answer as he revved up the engine and flew the Jumper away from the camp site dialling the Stargate.

* * *

><p>"You should have seen them mooning over this guy. Teyla was set be his seventh wife and Ronon was like 'He's a very wise and kind man'." Sheppard said imitated Ronon's inflections and soft expression he had at the time as Sheppard regaled Hannah with the time Atlantis fell in love with Lucius Lovett. "He was so misty eyed with his man crush" Sheppard quipped, Hannah burst out laughing with Sheppard as the two were thoroughly sloshed on ruus wine.<p>

Ronon who was holding his liquor better than the two frowned at the current topic being discussed. They had discussed every funny event Sheppard could remember from the time Hannah left Atlantis to when she returned. He didn't mind hearing about the time McKay got shot in the ass with an arrow but his drug induced man crush of Lucius was not something he like being shared. It also rankled him at how closely the two were sitting next to one another and enjoying each other's company, smiling at one another. Hell it looked like they were about to kiss they were so close to one another. Why couldn't she smile at him like that? Why did they have to sit so close to one another? He knew nothing was going on between them that they were truly just friends but it didn't stop him from being jealous.

"Oh ah good times" Sheppard sighed as he calmed down and poured out another round for himself and Hannah. He knew he was going to regret drinking so much alcohol in the morning but right now he was going to enjoy it.

"You know I missed you" Hannah told Sheppard as she wrapped her arms around his and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I missed you too" Sheppard told her in a soft tone as it was true. Hannah pulled her head back and looked at him with a cheeky smile.

"Hey, you still keep in touch with the Shikozu?" Hannah asked. The Shikozu was one of Atlantis's many allies. They were a peaceful race, who lived deep under the hot surface of their desert planet in their own artificial world undisturbed by the wraith. They had the technology but refused to trade it only offering trades of food and mineral resources.

"Yeah, I saw them last week. I told Hideki you were back in town" Sheppard said wriggling his eyebrows suggestively. He shot a side glance to Ronon who was doing his best to not look jealous. He had noticed that the more booze they all downed the more Ronon's emotions filtered through his expression. It was entertaining to see his friend try to hide his feelings and to rile him up by suggesting Hannah hook up with other people they knew.

"Oh?" She asked with a salacious smile.

"Marriage offer still on the table" Sheppard said as if he were trying to sell her a car. Hannah made a face like she was considering it before shaking her head.

"No, I don't think so. I think the age gap might work against us" Hannah countered. Hideki was the leader of the Shikozu, a very fit man in his 60s. He was incredibly friendly, had a wicked sense of humour, and good stamina for drinking.

"It's only what? 40 years, I'm sure he's got another 20 good years in him. Plenty of time for babies and anyway if there are issues I'm sure Keller could help you out" Sheppard joked. Hannah and Sheppard both burst out laughing while Ronon took a sip of his wine hiding his grimace.

* * *

><p>A couple of hours later,<p>

Hannah left a passed out and snoring John Sheppard in her dwellings before deciding to go for a walk she was too buzzed from all the cheering, singing, dancing and laughing to go to bed. She hummed a nonsensical tune as she half danced and walked bare foot to her favourite thinking place. It was by a large lake, it was a full moon out which made the water glitter. She laid down on the ground and looked up at the night sky.

"Do you plan on ever leaving me alone?" Hannah asked Ronon as she heard him coming a mile away. She had left him in the dwellings to deal with Sheppard.

"I brought more wine as a peace offering" he told her as he now stood over her holding a drinking pouch of ruus wine. Hannah smiled.

"Then you are welcome as long as you don't speak" Hannah told him. He dropped the pouch and Hannah caught it. She pulled the cork from the top and took a drink while Ronon laid down next to her. She passed the pouch to him and he had a swig.

He idly wondered how she was still conscious as she had consumed a lot of alcohol, if he hadn't been pacing himself he was sure she would have drunk him under the table.

"I'm sorry I'm such a bitch to you. It's not your fault. It's me, I was- I am in hell and I just don't know who I am, it feels like I don't know anything anymore" Hannah confessed to him, Ronon listened to every word as he knew she would never be so forthcoming again when she sobered up. It wasn't the shining apology he deserved but he didn't need her apology he just wanted to understand and for her to pull herself together.

"Can I speak now?" Ronon asked after a few moments of silence passed.

"No" she said looking at him. She pulled the pouch from his hands and took a drink. "I traded my soul to come back and everything is just a freaking mess." she said before taking another swig. "Not only is it a mess. I'm a mess actually no, I feel lost which I think is worse because I don't know what I'm doing here. I should have just disappeared, it would have been easier on everyone including myself" Hannah said as tears slid down her face. She gave a sardonic chuckle.

Ronon took the pouch of wine from her hands. She said he couldn't talk but she didn't say anything about actions. She looked at him with wary eyes as she had no clue what he was going to do. He reached out and she pulled back slightly. She reminded him of a wounded animal, the scared look in her eyes as if he was completely foreign to her but he continued with his hand and she allowed him to cup her face. He brushed the tear that had run down her cheek away with his thumb and she closed her eyes giving a sigh of what he interpreted to be relief. He took the moment she was granting him as he felt he may never have another chance to indulge in her.

He tilted her chin up with one hand while the other brushed her hair behind her ear before he lowered his lips to hers. It started out as a soft gentle kiss as if he were asking permission. Hannah opened her lips as he kissed her tasting his mouth. She moaned softly in pleasure as he tasted delicious. He slowly snaked his arms around her waist and used his other arm to keep himself propped above as he was afraid of hurting or flaring her broken ribs. He covered her mouth in a powerful and deep kiss, a possessing kiss.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"More spider?" Lorne asked Megan as he pulled another spider kebab off the fire. It was the only wildlife around with enough protien to sustain them.

"No, I'm good" she said as they finished their evening meal of spider kebabs. She was glad she didn't have a phobia of the creatures otherwise it would have been very difficult for her to live two weeks on this planet. Major Lorne smiled at her as he cleaned up. The past two weeks had been very interesting.

They had to abandon the jumper for higher ground and were currently living in a cave that overlooked the low valley where the jumper was. The storm raged outside with thunder and lightning, rain bucketing down in sheets. The cave was warm thanks to the small fire they had going and they had their camping gear thanks to a well stocked Jumper.

They had spent the first week living in the jumper and trying to reactivate it but it was completely fried even the communications systems gave up four days after their crash. The rest of the time they spent scavenging for food and just surviving.

Megan had learned more about Lorne in the last two weeks than she had on any of their other times together. Though she was now firm in her knowledge he was not interested in her. Sure he gave her the odd massage but he didn't make any other moves on her. She felt like an idiot for thinking she had a chance with a guy as smoking hot as him. He could have any woman he wanted why would he want a science nerd like her. She wondered if he had a girlfriend and that she probably just reminded him of that lucky woman so his flirting was just accidental.

She watched him gingerly eat the spiders on the stick and couldn't help but smile as he was squeamish about spiders.

"What are you smiling about?"

"You" she said, she blushed as she realised what she was implying "I mean you and your whole 'I don't like spiders' thing. Yet you chow down like it's thanksgiving" she clarified. He gave a chuckle and half shrug.

"Well, we don't have a lot of options and I'm hungry" Lorne said wearing a smile.

* * *

><p>Ronon rolled her body under his as they fought for dominance. His mouth, swallowing her startled gasp in the midst of a demanding kiss. She opened her mouth to him, eager and melting within seconds.<p>

He no longer cared about how things would be in the morning when they both sobered up or that Hannah would probably despise him more. He'd done everything he knew to do to resist her and be a gentleman, none of it had worked.

He wrenched his mouth away from her and with a powerful thrust of his hips, pinned her beneath him on the ground. He could feel the feral expression on his face, but there was nothing he could do to help it.

His voice was low and rough, nearly alien even to his own ears. "Tell me you won't regret this later," he demanded.

Hannah's mouth was parted and wet in invitation, making it nearly impossible for him to hold on to his one remaining rational thought—her agreement. Her eyes were deep, chocolate brown with the triumphant gleam of a woman who was about to get what she so desperately wanted. He could feel her trembling slightly beneath him, though whether from anticipation or fear, he wasn't sure.

She lifted her chin and looked him directly in the eye, licking her lips, "No regrets," she promised in a breathy voice, and he knew she was telling the truth. It was enough.

Ronon let go of his restraint and kissed her soft mouth with every ounce of pent-up sexual frustration and longing he'd kept inside over the years. She accepted his ferocity and sighed into his mouth, her needy hands seeking over his back and shoulders.

His tongue thrust into her mouth, tasting her acceptance. His hands found their way under layers of clothing to cup the soft curve of her breast in his hand. Her nipple tightened and he could feel it stabbing eagerly through the thin fabric of her bra, demanding the touch of skin on skin.

He had to feel her naked body against his, with nothing between them but the light of the full moon. She had on so many damn clothes that it felt like it was going to take him a year just to get her out of them. His fingers weren't cooperating; they were shaking with need and a hint of nervousness.

Ronon hadn't been nervous with a woman since his first few times with Mileena. Hell, he wasn't even sure it was possible to be so nervous anymore, but apparently, Hannah made a lot of things possible.

She arched and wriggled beneath him, her slender fingers working at the buttons of his vest shirt as her mouth pressed hot, wet kisses along his neck. "You taste so good," she mumbled against his skin.

Ronon's jaw clenched against the urge just to slide off their pants and take her hard and fast. He was sure he'd last maybe ten seconds once he got inside her.

So, he forced himself to focus and only years of military training and on the run from the wraith allowed his brain any room to function. He pulled her dress over her head, the second

Layer a long sleeve shirt came off, with less effort swept over her head before her lips had found his skin again.

He lifted her chin for a kiss, coaxing her to open for him. She didn't hesitate her mouth was eager and her tongue danced boldly with his. The little whimpering sounds coming from her throat were driving him wild, forcing rational thought right out of his head.

He didn't know how but he managed to Hannah's bra off one-handed. His other hand couldn't wait to feel the smooth skin of her breast against his palm. Her nipples were tight, begging for attention, and he couldn't resist tasting her. He flicked his tongue over the rosy tip, and Hannah hissed in response.

"More," she begged, her voice low and breathless, Ronon drew her nipple into his mouth, feasting on her sensitive flesh. She arched beneath him, fisting her hands in his shirt.

At this rate, he was going to lose it before he even got her pants off if he didn't slow down. Every little response she made was like throwing lighter fluid on his fiery lust.

His fingers unfastened her leggings and slid them, her leggings and knickers all off in one sweeping motion.

Other than the thin shoulder strap of her bra, which was still hanging loosely over one arm, she was completely naked.

Ronon didn't dare look at her all bare and laid out before him. He knew he didn't have the strength for that just yet. He needed to be inside her, deep and hard.

He made quick work of the buttons that remained by sending them flying as he ripped off his vest and shirt.

Hannah's brown eyes darkened as she looked at his naked chest and she let out a feminine sigh of approval. Her short nails bit into his skin as if testing the texture of the muscle beneath.

His old Sateda dog tags and charm Mileena gave him for their engagement, which he wore on a chain around his neck dangled over her. Reminding him of the past times but he mentally shook his head as he didn't want to remember. Not now. Before the thoughts of Mileena could invade, he focused on Hannah.

Her mouth was wet and swollen, and there was a deep blush that spread out over her chest, reaching down toward her breasts. Ronon couldn't keep himself from taking her mouth again in a deep, possessive kiss. His tongue thrust inside her mouth in an unmistakable rhythm. In response, her hips pressed against him, eager and restless.

Ronon's hand moved down her torso, over her pale stomach, and his fingers parted the damp, blonde curls between her thighs. She was slick and hot against his fingers, her back arching and her legs parting to coax his contact to become more intimate.

Ronon obliged. He slid one long finger slowly inside her. She was tight. Hot. Wet.

She moaned into his mouth and her fingernails sank into his shoulders. Her body wiggled anxiously beneath him, but he pressed his weight down against her to hold her still.

Sweat slid along his temple as he tried to kick his brain into functioning. He didn't want to mess this up.

He wanted it to be good for her. So good she'd want more. Because the Gods knew that once wasn't going to be anywhere near enough to sate him—not with a woman he wanted as much as he wanted Hannah.

Her muscles clenched around his finger, squeezing him tight. Instantly, his mind shut down and instincts took over completely. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard himself make a deep, growling noise that sounded completely unfamiliar. He shoved his pants down, just enough to free himself, pressed Hannah's thighs wide apart and slid his erection inside her in one long, slow thrust.

Hannah let out a high-pitched sound that could have been either pleasure or pain. He had no clue and couldn't make his mouth form the words to ask. He was lost in the hot grip of her body where she fit him like she'd been custom-made just for him.

He held his body still, buried so deep he could feel her pulse beating in double time with his own. Already he was on the razor edge of orgasm and he knew that if he moved now, he'd be lost.

Beneath him, he felt Hannah's slender body relax somewhat. Her breathing was fast and he could feel each breath warm and soft against his shoulder.

He struggled to regain some sort of control over his lust, but it was a losing battle. Hannah drew her knees up in invitation, letting Ronon slide fractionally deeper. Ronon hissed, but Hannah made a sweet sound of pleasure and shifted her hips in an effort to make him move against her.

Ronon needed no further coaxing. He simply let go of his self-control and allowed himself to feel. Every slippery inch of movement drove him closer to the brink until he was mindless with the need to come. Her body gripped him lovingly, accepting his urgent thrusts with soft, yielding heat. He wanted her to come with him, but he couldn't wait. Need was riding him hard, lashing him, making him mindless.

His hands caught her hips, angling them so he could plunge deep one final time. Pleasure so intense it was painful swept through his body like a lightning storm as he came hard, buried to the hilt inside Hannah.

For long moments, all he could do was breathe as jolts of pleasure shot through his limbs. He knew he was crushing Hannah, but he couldn't make his body work to support itself. Soft, loving hands caressed his back while her body cushioned his.

Finally, conscious thought returned, and with it came guilt. "Sorry." His voice was rough and dry, and he swallowed in an effort to bring moisture to his mouth.

He wanted to explain to her that it had been years since he'd had sex and that he wasn't usually so quick on the draw. He wanted to promise her that he'd make it up to her. With interest.

But all he could do was recover from the single most powerful orgasm of his life. He was still semihard inside her and he didn't want to leave. Not yet. He propped himself up on his elbows and stared down at her. She was beautiful—her eyes were still dark with desire, her pale skin was rosy, her nipples were tight buds against his chest and her mouth.

He couldn't quit staring at her mouth, which was swollen and cherry red.

Incredibly, he felt himself grow hard again. Hannah felt it, too. She shivered and let out a moan of need.

"Hannah?" A voice called out. It was like a bucket of cold water splashed down on Hannah as she heard Demming's voice call out. She looked back up at Ronon in slight shock of what happened. Not because she didn't want it cause she did. She wanted him with every fibre of her being but she didn't need Demming joining the party.

"You have to let me up" She told him, she couldn't believe she was turning down round two of incredibly hot sex but the last thing she needed was to be caught in such a compromising position by Demming.

"Stay quiet" Ronon told her in a hushed tone.

"I'm tracking your implant and heat signatures, I know that you are not alone and very hot probably very indecent as I'm not looking your direction and only making assumptions from the readout" Demming shouted. Hannah groaned as she couldn't believe this was happening. She could barely piece her name together and enjoying it but it had to go and get ruined.

"Then go away and leave us alone" Hannah told Demming in a loud voice as Ronon apparently wasn't going to let her up not that she wanted him to. Even now he was still hard and to the hilt in her making any clear thinking on her part nearly impossible. He obviously wasn't unnerved by Demming being nearby.

"Look if I could come back in like the morning I would but I need you come now- I meant with me now." Demming said Hannah could just hear him grinning as he purposely using the bad choice of words while he kept his back to the couple. "I finished the calculations and there are two windows coming up in the next hour. I need you to help me disable the safety protocols. Also we don't have much time as I didn't ask for permission when I took the jumper. Lt Kemp will have told Carter by now and she'll send a team trying to catch you before I do" Demming continued to ramble.

Hannah dropped her head back and closed her eyes trying to take in the fact that everything was just happening all at once.

"So, I'll give you like 5 minutes. That should be enough time right?" Demming asked.

"I'm going to kill you" Hannah shouted. She heard Demming laugh and him stomp away, she looked up at Ronon. "I have to go" she told him in a breathless voice.

"You can't go, if you do you'll be sent back to Earth" Ronon told in a low voice.

"She'll have to catch me first. Now as much as I hate saying this let me up" she told him in a tone laced with a threatening edge. He didn't move for many reasons one of them being he didn't want her to leave but knew he couldn't stop her.

They stared at one another for what felt like a long time before he gave a sigh and pulled himself off of her. Hannah rolled away and moved for her clothing. He pulled on his pants watched as she haphazardly pulled her clothes on with shaky hands. Once she was dressed, she started to walk off but Ronon stopped her.

"Hannah" Ronon said he caught her by the arm and turned her to face him.

"Let go of my arm" Hannah told him.

"Don't think we're finished here" he told her, his expression was tender as she realised he was talking about something more than her running off but before could respond he was hit with a blast of energy. He released her arm and fell to the ground, Hannah turned to Demming who held the wraith stunner in hand.

"Was that necessary?" she asked him.

"Time is of the essence here and I gave you five minutes. Can we go now?" Demming asked in a rushed manner as he holstered the stunner like he was some kind of space cowboy. Hannah checked Ronon's pulse and made sure he was still alive and rolled him onto his back so he wouldn't be sore when he woke up. He'd be in a bad mood as it was she didn't need it amplified because he had a crick in his neck.

She picked up the drinking pouch of ruus wine as she was going to need it and looked to Demming "Lead the way" she told him.

"How drunk are you?" Demming asked.

"You should really ask how drunk am I gonna get?" Hannah told him.

"Lucky I'm driving and wow did he do a number on you or what" Demming said as he pulled a twig from her hair that she knew was a mess. She swatted his hand as he tried to reach for her hair a second time.

"Let's just get this over with" Hannah told him.

* * *

><p>"He took off with the jumper" Kemp told Colonel Carter in the Control room of Atlantis. Kemp looked exhausted but then he had hiked through the forest for three hours just to reach the stargate and gate home. Sam's lips thinned into a line as she was not impressed with the news though not surprised at all.<p>

"He's going after Major Lorne" McKay said from behind her. He was sitting at one of the consoles with Vala beside him. He was uploading a tablet computer with everything Vala would need to know to get around Atlantis.

"He'll need Hannah before he can do that. Chuck, call Captain Wallace's team up and have them go to New Athos to retrieve her and Sheppard." Sam said.

"Yes, Ma'am" Chuck said as he did as ordered.

"Oo can I go off world?" Vala asked.

"Not today" Sam said, she had written to Teal'c and somehow ended up with Vala in his stead with a letter saying he was unable to visit but reassurances that Vala was the next best person for what Sam needed. Sam wasn't entirely sure she agreed with him but she couldn't send Vala back without giving her a chance to talk with Hannah.

* * *

><p>"Whoa! You can't just kick a crystal into the console!" Demming exclaimed as he and Hannah were parked near a space gate reconfiguring the DHD device in the puddle jumper to make the connection.<p>

"I believe I just did" Hannah slurred as she took a swig from her ruus wine drinking pouch. Demming rubbed his face in despair and amazement as he was exhausted and Drunk Hannah was right. "Don't tell the engineering department, they'll have apoplexy or is it apoplexi-cause it's multiple" she wondered.

"You mean plural" Demming said, he had tried to pull the bag of booze out of her hands but even drunk she still had fast reflexes.

"Whatever are we done?" Hannah asked parking herself in the front passenger seat. She and Ronon had hot, amazing albeit quick sex and she wished she was back there still with him having more pleasurable interlude than in the puddle jumper with Demming. But they only had a couple of windows to get Lorne and Megan back and even in Hannah's inebriated mind that had to trump mind numbing beautiful sex. At least the booze was helping in numbing her to her petty concerns and juvenile feelings of frustration at nothing working out the way she imagined. She just needed to stop thinking, so she took another pull of the wine.

"I don't know, you tell me" Demming said, looking to her with concern.

"Dial it up spotty" She said before she hiccupped and took another swig of wine. She made a note to slow down as she was pretty close to depressive drunk and the next stage after that was vomiting and passing out. Something she refused to do in Demmings' presence.

"Scotty" Demming said as he punched in the next address.

"That's what I said, now do it because-"

"You gave up wild monkey outdoors sex for Ow!" Demming rubbed his arm as Hannah had punched him hard for stating the obvious.

"You deserved that" She told him as she pointed at him, he smiled as he knew she wasn't in the morose stage of drunkard-ness.

"I'm not the one who smells of sex and dirt. Should've made you skinny dip in a body of water before coming on this trip" Demming said as he quickly turned his chair to use it as a shield from Hannah. He laughed as Hannah kicked the back of his chair out of frustration.

* * *

><p>"You hear that?" Megan asked as she sat up from her bedding in the cave. She had been having trouble sleeping when she started to hear singing.<p>

Lorne stood at the opening of the cave turned to her. "That I do" he said throwing a wry smile over his shoulder. He gave a sigh and shook his head in dismay.

"Is that singing?" Megan asked, as they heard two people singing very loudly in French.

"Yeah, that's Hannah and Demming" Lorne told her. He could see them clear as day as they both were walking with camp lights like two kids searching for mischief in the night. Two drunk kids; he amended as he watched Hannah stumble with Demming holding her by the arm.

"How do you know?" Megan asked him as she rose from her bedding and moved to stand beside him.

"Because I recognise their drunk singing and I can see them" Lorne said dryly. He turned and cupped his mouth calling out. "Hey, knock that cat wauling off" he shouted.

"Hey, hey!" Demming called out in a cheery tone and Lorne truly hoped the man was not inebriated. He watched as the two emerged from a shrubbery and got his answer as Hannah was holding a drinking pouch with Demming by her side practically holding the woman up as she leaned back to look up at them.

"Oh hey!" Hannah called out with a cheesy grin, like she was truly surprised to see them.

"Hey, what you all doing here?" Megan asked before she and Lorne exchange looks at Hannah's obvious inebriation.

"Saving you, whoa no Hannah this way" Demming said as he pulled Hannah from walking the wrong direction. The woman stumbled back to Demming's side and looked a little lost for a moment.

"Are you two drunk?" Lorne asked.

"Yep" Hannah replied as she took a step only for her foot to sink into a mud hole. She luckily didn't fall face first as Demming still held her arm "There's a hole right there" Hannah announced. Lorne shook his head as Demming said 'That's what she said' earning him a cuff up the side of the head before replying to Lorne's question.

"Only Hannah, I'm the designated driver and we need to go now. So pack up your stuff and come on we're on the clock. Unless you like it here, I'd suggest you pack up your gear and come on down" Demming said to them.

* * *

><p>TBC<p> 


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"I have no idea where Hannah is" a drunk and tired looking Sheppard said as he stood in Sam's office. He was squinting at the bright lighting of the office. He had been roused for a blissful slumber and dragged back through the gate, he was pretty sure he was still drunk as the room was swaying slightly. At least he hadn't lost his guts going through the Stargate but that trip had been interesting enough that he never wanted to repeat it again.

"You're drunk" Vala stated as she sat behind Sam's desk. Sheppard nodded and didn't notice Sam's disapproval as the Colonel dropped her face into her hand shaking her head.

"Yes, I am and technically I'm on R&R for three days so I'm allowed to do whatever I like" Sheppard slurred slightly as he squinted and wished he had his sunglasses with him and idly wondering when the lights had become so bright.

"You're not in trouble" Sam said slightly exasperated by the situation.

"Right" Sheppard said with a chuckle not believing her and moving to the nearest chair and taking a sat as he had a feeling they would be here awhile.

"How are we going to find Hannah and Demming?" Vala asked in an authorative manner that made Sam's eyebrows raise in a questioning manner.

"You ask Ronon? Hey where is Ronon?" Sheppard asked looking around and regretting the movement as the room increased its swaying making him feel a little nauseated. What he wouldn't give for some greasy food and a cup of strong coffee.

"He's still on New Athos. He passed out drunk in the forest by the lake or he was possibly stunned as there are some tracks" Sam said as Captain Wallace had filled her in on the information. He and his team had found Ronon unconscious with the help of Halling and they had found tracks of two people leaving to a site big enough to land a jumper.

"If he was stunned he is going to be a real grump. Anyway there's nothing we can do until they send a distress call or come back. Which really leaves the question of what you want to do when they come back" Sheppard said.

"She disobeyed orders-" Sam started before Vala cut her off.

"What orders?" Vala asked.

"I'm a little lost on that one myself" Sheppard said as they were discussing the punishment for something Hannah did while intoxicated.

"She was supposed to behave-" Sam started but Vala cut her off and pointed a finger at her.

"No, she wasn't. She was supposed to be on New Athos pulling herself together and took a minor detour. Hannah is technically not in the Military or employed by the IOA so she doesn't have to follow anything we say." Vala said, Sam looked over her shoulder at Vala and gave her 'You're not helping me look'. The brunette responded with a smug smile and Sam wondered not for the first time whose side Vala was on. Sam looked to Sheppard who pointed to Vala and clicked his fingers.

"Yeah what she said and anyway how is her tagging along for a joyride with Demming and saving two stranded people a bad thing?" Sheppard asked as he took slow and easy breaths to abate his nausea as he felt like he was in a rocking boat with a delicate stomach, he was beginning to question how much he and Hannah had drunk before he passed out. He was definitely getting too old for it.

"It's the principle of it. I'm trying to set a standard of behaviour I can't keep on excusing her behaviour on the basis of her past trauma and who she is" Sam said as she didn't know what she was going to do but she didn't want to show favouritism and she needed her subordinates to understand that she had no desire to let people run wild.

"Funny how you and SG1 get a free pass for everything you've done over the years and you can't extend that to Hannah who by the way isn't a member of the expedition or the military. As far as I understand it you have no right to punish her." Vala said.

"Vala, she's a civilian-" Sam started, wanting to explain that she wasn't talking from a military standpoint but Sheppard sat forward in his chair and pointing to Vala and cut Sam off.

"She has a point. Hannah isn't Military or as the IOA rep said classified as a member of the expedition. You can't punish her. Demming is fair game but Hannah isn't technically your problem. Anyway, I seriously doubt Hannah will come back here. She'll probably get dropped off at the gate and return to New Athos" Sheppard said.

"How do you know?" Sam asked.

"It's what I'd do if I were her. Anyway like she'd come back here and get her ass chewed on for doing something good-" Sheppard didn't finish his sentence as Sam cut him off.

"And when did you become the authority on everything Hannah wants because you know her so well from her the year and half of being stationed together? What is it between you two?" Sam asked him, she knew it sounded petty but she couldn't help it, Hannah was family to her but their relationship was strained and having Sheppard tell her where Hannah's head was at and being close with Hannah got on Sam's nerves.

"We're just friends, and for some reason she feels she can talk to me. She told me what happened and how screwed up she feels. She'll come round but if you keep coming down hard on her like you are then she's going to bolt and disappear for good" Sheppard said, he didn't want to tell Sam that he believed Hannah was in worse state than everyone believed her to be.

That he was truly concerned for her mental state that if she was pushed anymore she might do something worse than run off. He had seen the look in her eyes as they drank it was a look that scared him and he wasn't alone in his concern as he knew Teyla and Ronon had seen it too. So he kept quiet about it and would talk to the others and keep it in a tight circle. Him, Ronon, Cadman, Demming and Teyla between their schedules they would keep an eye on her. They were going to keep her on Atlantis and safe.

"I would leave for good as well" Vala said in agreement. Sam shot her a glare to which Vala didn't looked phased in the slightest as she continued. "I agree with Sheppard here. What we need to do is give her the space and let her be whatever she needs to be and when she's ready she'll come back. She did it after that fellow-what was his name?"

"Major Coburn" Sheppard supplied before Sam could. Vala snapped her fingers and pointed at him.

"Yes, he was a very deep loss for her." Vala said with a serious expression one they all shared as they knew the toll it had taken on Hannah. "The point being is that she came back from that and everything else and I know she will come good again but I agree with the Colonel. We have to give her time" Vala said.

"Or she will disappear into a galaxy instead of on one planet and be lost for however long with intel of Atlantis" Sam said in slight despair as she knew they would never recover Hannah if she ran off into the Pegasus Galaxy. It would do wonders for her career and her state of mind if she lost Hannah again.

"Even if she does, she'll never break" Sheppard said.

"That's not comforting" Sam said darkly.

* * *

><p>"How much has she had to drink?" Lorne asked Demming in a low voice. They had made it through the gate to another space gate before the storm came through but the DHD had sparked out on their exit. They now orbited a planet while Demming and Megan made some quick repairs as Hannah had passed out on the way back to the jumper. She was now laying on one of the benches in the back of the jumper, hugging her drinking pouch to her chest.<p>

"Ah a lot, there was some festival on New Athos. So she drank at the party and B.Y.O. the goon bag for the trip" Demming replied as he handed a tool to Megan who was repairing the console so they could dial home. He wasn't going to share the fact he had walked in on Hannah having a drunken romp with Ronon as he was saving that ammunition for later.

"She's going to have a killer hangover by the smell of her" Lorne commented as he could smell the booze coming out of her pores up at the front. He wasn't going to envy the hangover she was going to have when she woke up. But he was grateful for the rescue as he was ready for a hot shower and a shave.

"Oh yeah" Demming said with a chuckle, the DHD console powered up and Megan and Demming exchanged smiles.

"We're back online" Megan said as she packed up the tools and returned to her chair.

"Alright" Lorne said, he moved back up to the front and took the pilot's chair as Megan dialled Atlantis.

* * *

><p>"Sheppard, how are you feeling?" Sam asked as she stepped into the transporter with him. The doors closed and she could tell he had showered and changed since their meeting a few hours ago but even in the small room the smell of booze permeated the air.<p>

"Present, not yet accounted for" Sheppard replied as he punched for the jumper bay. He had showered and crashed out for a few hours before Chuck woke him up over the Atlantis intercom to notify him of Lorne, Demming, Megan and Hannah's return. He quickly donned a fresh uniform and headed to the nearest transporter. Sam gave him a wry smile just as the doors opened.

A jumper made a safe landing in the bay a few feet away and they walked to it. Sheppard and Sam stood back as the back door opened. Sam watched as Dr Megan Johnson stepped out followed by Major Lorne with their packs on their backs. She looked behind them and saw Hannah being scooped up into Demming's arms bridal style and closed her eyes for a moment stifling the anger she felt at the both of them for disobeying her even though she was grateful for what they had succeeded to do.

"Major, Doctor. It's good to have you back" Sam said as the Major and Doctor stood before them looking relieved to be home.

"Ma'am, Sir" Lorne said in greeting to them. Megan gave a nod.

"Major, good to see you. Nice scruff" Sheppard said as he gestured to his own face, smiling at how unkempt his major looked. It was a rare sight indeed and one Sheppard always enjoyed as he was always getting ribbed for his less than stellar comportment.

"Yeah didn't pack a razor but I'll be happy to be rid of it" Lorne said as he scratched his facial hair.

"Hannah had a good laugh about it" Megan said with a shy smile.

"She would considering she drank me under the table. I'm amazed she was of much use at all" Sheppard said as he looked to Demming who walked up to them looking smug as ever as he held Hannah in his arms. Sheppard side glanced at Sam who didn't look impressed at all.

"Well she sobered up and then drank some more" Demming said as he carried Hannah in his arms. She had a smile on her lips as she looked completely relaxed and peaceful in her sleep still hugging the bag to her chest.

"Then passed out" Lorne added with a wry smile.

"Well you'd be stuck on that planet for another 8 months if we hadn't come after you" Demming told him. Lorne tilted his head was about answer when Sam cut in before him.

"Yes, something we will be discussing in length Dr Demming. Once you have been cleared by medical" Sam said to him in a tone that said Demming was in deep trouble.

"What about the others?" Demming asked defensively.

"They are going to medical as well as it's procedure. Dr Johnson and Major Lorne I'd like you both to have 48hrs R&R before you two see me" Sam said.

"Yes, Ma'am" Lorne said.

"What about Hannah?" Demming asked.

"Infirmary, make sure she's not suffering from alcohol poisoning and let them take care of her" Sam said as she really had no clue how to deal Hannah or the situation at hand. The only blessing was that Hannah was passed out thus giving Sam time to think on the matter.

"Ah, Ma'am. Hannah's going to be pretty pissed off when she wakes up as I said I'd drop her off on New Athos before returning. Couldn't I just take her back to her quarters?" Demming asked.

"Fine, dismissed" Sam said.

* * *

><p>Hours later,<p>

"Oh" Hannah groaned as her head pounded, she opened her eyes and shot up bed and she wasn not on New Athos but on Atlantis. She let out a loud groan as her head throbbed and nausea hit her in a bad way. She tried to take easy, slow breaths but her body was on the revolt. So much so she pulled the sheets off herself and ran for the bathroom. She made it just in time to empty her guts in the sink.

She turned on the tap washing away the evidence as her stomach made another round of upending into the sink. After a few good goes her stomach settled and Hannah sunk to her knees and closed her eyes as she tried to remember how much she had drunk last night.

Obviously a lot as the whole night was a blur of memories. She exhaled slowly and pushed off the floor knowing a hot shower would help her. She didn't know how she did it but she managed to have a hot shower,wash her hair and brush her teeth before she went back to bed and crashed out again.

* * *

><p>Sometime later, Hannah stirred as she heard voices talking around her. It took a few moments for her brain to switch on and make out the words.<p>

"She definitely looks like she's seen better days" Hannah heard Sheppard remark from above her.

"Yes, how much did you all drink?" Hannah heard Vala, she was pretty sure it was a dream as Vala was in the Milky Way galaxy on Earth or galavanting on other planets with SG-1.

"Too much" Sheppard told her with a chuckle.

"Oh I think she's waking up" Vala said in an excited tone as Hannah opened her eyes. She found herself in bed with the doona to her eyes and her legs bare as the doona covered the rest of her. It was probably lucky as she was naked. She looked up at Sheppard and Vala feeling incredibly seedy and hungover.

"Hannah, I brought you pain killers and water" Sheppard sang in a soft and yet mocking tone. Hannah grumbled and pulled her doona over her head as she wasn't ready to wake up. In fact she didn't want to wake up until her liver processed all the booze out of system.

"It's time to wake up and share your hangover with us" Vala said in the same tone.

"Go away" Hannah grumbled as she pulled her knees up and under the doona. The doona was like a pleasant cocoon she didn't want to leave.

"Can't do that, you're my responsibility and since I'm awake and suffering a hangover. I'm not doing it alone" Sheppard told her.

"That and we're hungry. Now come on, get up" Vala said.

"No, can't stomach food. Too much booze" Hannah mumbled as she wished she could just bury herself but Vala and Sheppard pulled on her doona trying to separate them. But Hannah held onto it as she was not going leaving the bed.

"I know. You drank me under the table" Sheppard told her.

"Did I?" Hannah asked innocently as she lowered the doona so only her eyes were showing. The room was brightly lit as the sunlight shone through the windows.

"Don't be cute, now sit up and take some pain killers" Sheppard told her. Hannah made a face as she knew they weren't going away. She sat up, holding the doona to her chest with one arm and snatched the bottle of water from Sheppard and the two pills Vala had out in her palm with her free hand.

"Are you naked?" Sheppard asked her.

"As the day I fell from the sky" Hannah told him before she downed both of them quickly and closed her eyes as she felt incredibly retched. The room spun viciously and she flopped back down on the bed with a groan and pulled the doona over herself again.

"Oh, I drank too much" Hannah moaned.

"There's something I thought I'd never hear you say" Vala said with chuckle. Hannah lowered the doona past her eyes and stopped.

"Tell me how did I get back here?" Hannah asked looking at them.

"You don't remember?" Sheppard asked with a smile on his lips, Hannah narrowed her eyes at him as she knew he was enjoying this.

"I remember you talking about Lucius Lovett the rest is kind of a blur" Hannah half lied as she remember bits and pieces but it was too hard for her poor brain to put them all together with her raging hangover.

"Well, get dressed and we'll tell you it all over breakfast" Sheppard told her.

"Do I have to eat?" Hannah asked him.

"No, but you have to drink more fluids and get some fresh air. It'll do you some good" Sheppard told her.

* * *

><p>Half hour later,<p>

"Really? I did that? I don't remember any of it" Hannah said as she sat opposite Vala and Sheppard at a table in the mess that was on the balcony and furthest from the food. She was dressed in an Atlantis uniform with the jacket open and a white tank underneath. Her hair was brushed but left loose, she slouched in her chair nauseated as she watched Sheppard and Vala eat their breakfast. They ate in a slow and casual manner which frankly felt like torture to Hannah who was trying to keep her stomach contents of blueberry flavoured hydrolytes down. She was so hung over she couldn't even contemplate her usual hangover cure.

"Yeah, you were plastered" Demming said as he chowed down on his second serving of pancakes next to her. He had regaled Vala with his adventures of stealing a puddle jumper and stranding Kemp and his team to 'kidnap' Hannah and then rescue Lorne and Megan. All of which to Hannah was still a blur as she had drunk way too much. The only thing she remembered was a lot drinking and laughing, then dragging Sheppard's ass to the tent before going to the lake. She definitely remembered Ronon and the sex, not in great detail but enough to know it happened and yes it had been short and rather good until Demming interrupted, then more wine and then rest just a blur. She couldn't remember the conversations and she was grateful Demming hadn't commented about Ronon yet. But she knew he was just waiting for the perfect moment.

"Mmm I wish I still was" Hannah said as she took a slow inhale and exhale trying to block out the smell of food.

"You just need some food to soak up the booze, here have the last bite of my pancakes" Demming said as he offered her a fork full of pancake but Hannah shook her head and clutched the 1 litre bottle of hydrolytes tighter to her chest.

"No, no food" Hannah told him, she looked to Vala who was smiling at her. Hannah opened her mouth about to ask Vala what she was doing here but Demming spoke before her.

"Yo! Ronon, sit with us" Demming said as he called to Ronon who had just finished piling up a tray of food at the buffet to turn around to find a seat but thanks to Demming hollering across the hall the man was coming their way. At least the mess hall was empty thanks to the late hour but it didn't stop Hannah from feeling a sense of mortification and dread. She made a whining noise in the back of her throat as sunk further in her chair. Demming was now going to have his fun, no wonder he inhaled his pancakes.

"Here, take my seat next to Hannah." Demming told Ronon, Hannah glared at Demming who was smiling broadly as he picked up his tray and stood up. She made a mental note to kick his ass when she could stand without the room turning. "Anyone want coffee?" Demming asked.

"I'm good" Sheppard said trying to play it cool but even he knew something was up as Ronon took Demming place beside Hannah.

"I'd like another, thank you" Vala said to Demming with a smile. Demming took the cup she offered him.

"Coming right up" Demming said as he walked off the coffee station. Ronon looked to Hannah noting her grey pallor and the dark circles under her eyes. He felt a stab of concern and desire to take her back to his quarters to take care of her but squashed it as she had run away from him and he wasn't exactly sure where they stood with one another. He was also annoyed at being stunned and left in the forest completely defenceless.

"So how's your hangover?" Sheppard asked Ronon, he couldn't help but exchange looks with Vala who had also noticed the weird vibe at the table. Not to mention Demming going out of his way to sit Ronon and Hannah together.

"Fine" Ronon said as he started to eat his huge serving of breakfast. He had a headache and residual muscle aches from the wraith stun but it could be fixed with a few hours of exercise, fluids and food.

"Vala have you met Ronon?" Sheppard asked making conversation.

"Not that I recall" Vala said smiling at Ronon and then Hannah who was looking sitting so low in chair and pale it was a wonder she was even conscious.

"Vala Mal Doran, Ronon Dex" Sheppard said making the introductions formal.

"Nice to meet you, I've heard a lot about you" Vala said darting a look at Hannah, Ronon interpreted the look to say that what she had heard was from Hannah which made him curious as to what Hannah had said about him.

"Hm you fight?" Ronon asked her before having another bite of his breakfast, deciding it was best not to pursue what Vala had 'heard about him' line of questioning as he felt Hannah grow tense beside him. He could feel Hannah watching him, and his body prickled with awareness as his senses kicked in wanting to soak her up as memories of last night played in his mind. The scent of her hair, the taste of her skin, he could feel the warmth of her presence next to him. It made him hungry for more than what was on his tray.

"I can but I try not to get into any fights and if I do... Well, I prefer guns. They are easier on the manicure" Vala said in a joking manner before she smiled up at Demming who had returned with coffee.

"So ah I'm sorry about stun gunning you" Demming said carefully to Ronon as he sat at the head of the table.

"You had your reasons" Ronon said gruffly, he was pissed off about it but he wasn't going to get into as it wasn't worth it.

"Yeah well if it helps I did get yelled at and punished. I've been grounded for 6 months and I'm now on a good behaviour bond. So if I pull another stunt my ass gets sent back to Earth" Demming said with a shrug.

"That's not too bad" Sheppard remarked. Ronon wondered if it was worthwhile making the man break the bond, it would clear up the field of competition for him if Demming was gone.

"What about you Hannah? Have you faced the music?" Demming asked with a knowing smile.

"No and don't plan to until I can stomach food again" Hannah said as she tried not to stare at Ronon. She wondered if maybe he didn't remember last night as he was not giving her any signals to say he remembered or that he was angry or anything. He was impossible to read which made her insides squirm in an uneasy manner and her cheeks warmed as she remembered the hot kisses, the salty taste of his skin, his body pressed against and inside of hers. She shifted in her chair feeling light headed just from the thoughts and vainly tried to ignore Demming as he was enjoying her discomfort.

"You alright there?" Demming asked her.

"Peachy" Hannah grumbled at him as she opened her bottle of hydrolytes and took a quick swig and closing the lid on it before the smell of the water got to her. It wasn't appetising to drink but she knew it would make her feel better.

"Food will help" Sheppard told her.

"I'll just heave it up. I'll eat at lunch" Hannah told him, though she had no plans on eating.

"So besides being stunned, did you have fun at the festival?" Vala asked Ronon who stabbed the sausage on his tray and sat back in his chair. He took a bite and gave shrug.

"It was good" he answered after swallowing his food. He said it in such a way that it made last night sound about as fun as root canal. Hannah felt herself redden in mortification as it was one thing to be forgotten but to hear a review of the night and have it be less than great meant she was bad at sex and now Demming knew it.

"Hannah, you're looking flushed. You sure you're alright?" Sheppard asked as he was now certain that he was missing something as the tension at the table was tangible. Ronon was acting cagey looking at Hannah and Hannah was looking at Ronon all red cheeked and uncomfortable. Then it dawned at him why Demming was smiling like a Cheshire cat. A smile playing on his own lips at the assumption he was currently having.

"Actually, I'm not. I think I might go back to my quarters" Hannah said as least she wasn't lying about feeling sick as she was but it wasn't entirely about her hangover. She rose from her chair slowly and a wave of dizziness hit her but instead of pushing on and running for her quarters she lowered herself back down into her seat. "In a minute's time" she said.

"You'd feel better if you ate something" Sheppard told her yet again.

"Where's Teyla?" Hannah asked changing the topic.

"Still on New Athos" Ronon said to her, making eye contact with her. She felt her heart flip and hoped it just her newly activated hormones and not a signal she was going to vomit. But really both were equally mortifying notions as she now knew she completely subpar on the sex front. Something no one wanted to think about when it came to themselves. Why couldn't she just find the strength to get up and walk away? She really didn't need what was left of her self esteem to be stripped away.

"When can I go back?" Hannah said breaking eye contact with Ronon to look at Sheppard.

"Don't know you'll have to ask your mother" Sheppard replied. Something about his demeanour annoyed her as he was obviously enjoying the juvenile nature of Hannah's life. She wondered if this was what teenagers felt after they got caught out drinking while underage.

"Great" Hannah said with a sigh as she slouched into her chair. She felt like she had definitely regressed to the state of an rebellious teenager as everything hung on her Mother's approval.

"Hey, it won't be so bad. I'm here" Vala said with a smile.

"Yeah, what are you doing here?" Hannah asked.

"I was bored and led to believe there was treasure here" Vala said with an innocent shrug but Hannah knew better.

"By who?" Hannah asked playing into Vala's lie as she wasn't ready to ask for the truth.

"Daniel but I've only recently discovered that said 'treasure' is of the scientific and anthropological nature not of precious metals and jewels" Vala replied with a roll of her eyes, everyone at the table except Ronon smiled as they knew Vala and her love of treasure.

"That's disappointing I was looking forward to treasure hunting with you" Demming said in a mocking manner.

"Me too!" Vala said equally mocking as she covered up the real reason she was here. She figured Hannah wouldn't appreciate Sam's call for help. She felt it was best to play out her guise and just hang out for awhile with Hannah and just be there for the young woman as she felt she knew what it was like to be in Hannah's shoes.

"So how long are you going to be here?" Hannah asked her.

"I don't know, until I get kicked out" Vala said off handily.

"Nice" Hannah said with a smile that encouraged Vala.

* * *

><p>TBC<p> 


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

"Come in" Sam said as she heard a knock at her office door. She looked up and smiled as Hannah came into the room. She was looking worse for wear with dark circles under her eyes and her complexion incredibly pale. "Have a seat" Sam said.

"Thanks" Hannah replied as she gratefully took the seat on offer. Sam turned off her computer and moved into the other guest chair next to Hannah's so she wouldn't feel so formal.

"How's the hangover?" Sam asked with as much sympathy as she could muster. She didn't approve of drinking in excess.

"Killer" Hannah replied as she sagged in her chair.

"I wasn't expecting you to drop by" Sam said.

"I didn't plan to but I figured I may as well get all the horrible business out of the way and then sleep" Hannah said as she looked around the office. She felt a sadness wash over her as she remembered Dr Weir when she used to occupy the office. But she was gone and now it was Sam's space. Hannah looked at the photos in the room from her chair, she saw the silver chain of her necklace on the desk beside a photo that wasn't facing towards her.

"Have you eaten?" Sam asked as Hannah sat up straighter in chair. Sam noted that Hannah was looking at her locket that Sam kept on her desk. She knew she should give it back to her but there never seemed to be the right time. Even now didn't feel right.

"Not game enough, I'm going to wait until dinner" Hannah said as she knew it was her locket. She swallowed as she felt a wave of nausea and maudlin thoughts roll within her.

"Perhaps Vala and I could bring you dinner in your quarters" Sam offered.

"I don't want to put you out" Hannah said awkwardly as she didn't have the heart to tell her that she'd rather spent the next few days curled up in the foetal position until she stopped feeling so hungover and miserable.

"No trouble, we'd be eating with you. It's be like a girl's night in" Sam said with a smile.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Hannah asked she could help but blurt out the question as she had been expecting Sam to be pissed off at her and shouting about her disapproval.

"Because I want to be and we've had a really rocky start." Sam said her smile slipping slightly, Hannah mentally kicked herself as Sam was giving her an olive branch and Hannah was taking it only to bash her over the head with it.

"I know but you should be angry at me for what I did with Demming and punishing me. Sending me back to Earth or something" Hannah said, Sam gave a shrug.

"Hannah, you said it yourself that you're not a member of this expedition as such I can't punish you for you not following my instructions or doing as you said you would. But that doesn't mean I'm not disappointed." Sam told her.

"Right, well I'm not apologising" Hannah told her, Sam chuckled as some things didn't change with Hannah.

"I'd be concerned if you did" Sam said wryly.

"So what's going to happen now?" Hannah asked her.

"Well I'm hoping you might stay on the base while Vala is here so as to distract her" Sam said, Hannah's lips quirked into a smile as Vala had a way of disrupting the normal functions of a military base.

"And I was thinking maybe we could get together and we could repair our relationship. I've missed you and our friendship" Sam said.

"Ok" Hannah said. Sam felt a little wistful that Hannah hadn't returned the same sentiment of missing their relationship but at least Hannah wasn't shutting her out.

"Good, but I would appreciate it if you followed the rules here and behaved while on base. No more excessive drinking" Sam told her.

"You saying I have a problem?" Hannah asked raising a questioning eyebrow.

"No, I just don't want to worry about you falling off a pier drunk at night" Sam told her.

"Fair enough and I'll do my best not to undermine your authority" Hannah told her, Sam gave a nod and wondered if this was what it felt like to raise a rebellious teenager.

"So Vala and I be at your quarters 1800hours?" Sam asked.

"I'll be there" Hannah told her.

"I look forward to it. So tell me how was the Harvest Festival?" Sam asked.

"It was-" Hannah started but only to be interrupted when Chuck knocked on the door.

"Sorry to interrupt Ma'am but Midway has just dialled in and General Landry is requesting to speak with you" Chuck said. Sam looked to Hannah with a wan smile as duty called.

"Ok, I'll see you later" Sam said, Hannah nodded and watched as Sam left the office. She waited until Sam was talking to General Landry on the screen before she rose from her seat and leaned over the desk. She saw the photo of her and the locket draped over the frame. She didn't know why Sam had kept it but was glad.

She lifted the locket from the table and quickly pocketed it before she left the office.

* * *

><p>Hannah went to the closest transporter and hit the map to where her quarters were. The doors closed and a second later opened to her floor. She dragged her feet to her quarters and when she turned the corner to head to her front door she found Ronon standing outside the door leaning against the wall.<p>

"Ronon, you lost or something?" Hannah asked him as she just wanted to have a long hot bath and ignore her hangover. Put on her locket and hope it would somehow make her feel more like her old self before she turned traitor.

"We need to talk" Ronon said as he pushed off the wall.

"If this because Demming stunned you because I don't see how that's my fault" Hannah told him as she walked towards him.

"It's not that-"

"Then what is it? because we're back here, your guard duties are over with and right now I just want to curl up in my bed and pretend I'm dead for another 5 hours" Hannah said as she stopped in front of him, she opened the bottle of hydrolytes and took a small sip. She was wondering how he was going to crush her self esteem further than he had this morning over breakfast.

"I told you we weren't finished last night" He told her.

"Finish what exactly?" Hannah asked being obtuse.

"You know what I'm talking about" Ronon told her as he folded his arms and looked at her rather sternly. She made a face and turned her back to the front door and leaned against it.

"If you're talking about the argument we had. There's no point doing it, now that Lorne and Megan are back.. So what is there to talk about?" She asked.

"Us" he said as he moved so they were standing face to face. She looked at him confused.

"There is no 'us'." she stated.

"I disagree, last night we began something" he said, Hannah felt her cheeks redden from the memory and sheer embarrassment as he had recounted his evening as 'good'.

"Right. Look here's the thing. We were both really drunk, so drunk that I can barely remember breaking the DHD on the jumper" Hannah said, she was giving him an 'out' in the hopes he would take it and go away instead of torturing her like this,

"But you remember-" he started but she cut him off.

"Yes and I'm sorry, I took advantage of you, I used you to vent my emotions and frustrations on. It was wrong of me and I'm sorry I am horrible in the sack but in my defence it's not like I get around or had a lot of practice. So if you could just forget that it ever happened-"

"Forget about it?" he said cutting her off. She was amazed as he looked stunned by her statement.

"Yeah, I'm not the kind of person who gets completely wasted and has horrible sex with the nearest warm body" Hannah told him mortified that they were having this conversation.

"I know" he told her.

"You know" she said in disbelief.

"I do, and it wasn't horrible" he said, he looked at her with such an intense hunger it made Hannah look away.

"You said your night was 'good' in such a way that says it was horrible" She said, she felt her blush deepen and she felt a little lightheaded from blood rush. This was not a conversation to be having while heavily hungover.

"I was stunned by Demming before I could stop you from running away" Ronon said. She looked up at him with outrage.

"I wasn't running away" She stated vehemently.

"You were and still are" He told her, he placed his hands on the door beside her arms caging her in but not touching her. He felt the tension between them and wished he could just kiss her senselessly but they needed to talk and he also knew if they started kissing he would end up taking her against the door. A tempting idea but he didn't want a quickie he wanted to take his time with her and for them to be somewhere where they wouldn't be interrupted for a few hours at least.

"I am standing perfectly still at the moment." Hannah said being literal.

"You know what I mean" he told her as he pushed his lascivious thoughts away.

"No I don't" She said being petulant. He looked at her with a serious expression.

"I told you 'we're not finished' you remember me saying that last night?" he asked.

"Yes, you've said it more than once in the last hour and frankly I don't know what you mean when you say that!" Hannah exclaimed completely flustered and frustrated by him.

"You said you'd come back for me" he said in a low voice. Hannah gave a low groan and turned her back to him. She pressed her forehead to the wall and closed her eyes wishing she could just shut him out and that way he would just disappear as she wasn't ready to talk.

"I said that a long, long time ago" she said in a low voice, it felt like three lifetimes ago that she had said that. She barely knew that woman who made that promise so long ago. She felt Ronon move closer to her, his body heat melting into hers. She felt shaky and exhausted as he had to say that to her. She felt his large hands gently grasp her shoulder and slowly glide down her upper arms where they rested to a stop.

"It wasn't that long for me" he said, he placed a gentle kiss on the back of her neck. He gently pulled her back against him and slid his arms around her and she let him as she wanted… no needed the quiet strength of him. "You promised me; you'd come back-" he started

"I'm messed up" she said interrupting him.

"I know and it doesn't matter to me" he told her, she pulled back and looked up at him with an odd look.

"Look if you're just looking for a free sex you could just curl your finger at any female on this base they'll happily sleep with you, no strings attached. It would be easier probably better for you" she told him in a grim tone as she didn't like the idea of him with another woman but at the end of the day she had no right to him.

"You're right, I could but I want more, I want you" he told her as he turned her around in his arms. Hannah shook her head at him and looked away as if somehow if she didn't look at him she didn't have to acknowledge what he was saying to her but he wasn't going to let her off the hook no matter how many excuses she came up with. He was not giving up on her.

"I can't give-" Hannah started Ronon caught her face and silenced her with a kiss that meant business. It was a kiss loaded with passion, need and a wildly burning hunger. Ronon felt Hannah's body react instantly as his did. The bottle she had been holding onto dropped to the floor and rolled away as she moved her hands up his shirt and twisted her fingers in the fabric to pull him closer as they continued to kiss.

Ronon groaned aloud, he needed to get her legs around him, to bury himself inside her _now _but there were too many layers of clothing between them and they were standing in a hallway. He cupped her ass and lifted her, deeply pleased by how tenaciously she wrapped her legs around him. Then he kissed her again, keeping one hand under her ass he gently pried her right hand off from around his neck and moved it over the sensor.

Hannah was delirious from Ronon's kisses, the heat of his body as he pressed himself intimately against her. She was vaguely aware that he had grasped her right hand and used it to wave over the sensor. But she did feel the rush of cold air as the doors opened. He carried her inside with ease and pressed her up against the wall. The doors closed and Ronon broke the kiss to look at her for a moment. His eyes were darkened with desire.

"Tell you feel nothing and I'll stop" he told her, Hannah stared at him unable to find the words to tell him to stop. He gave her an open mouthed kiss just below her left ear, her body arched and shuddered in pleasure, and she closed her eyes.

"Ronon, you don't want to get mixed up with me. Last night was an aberration" she said finally finding her words again. Ronon smiled against her skin as she hadn't said 'stop' or anything remotely close to it. It was a small victory but he was going to take it, he nipped at her neck and felt her arch against him.

"No, it wasn't just as this is not an aberration. So tell me to stop, I promise I'll walk away and never bother you" he said murmuring against her skin.

"Please I have nothing to give you. Nothing" she told him in an exasperated voice as she squirmed in frustration in his arms. She was struggling between pushing him away and pulling him closer.

"Did I ask for anything?" he asked as he pulled his head back to look at her, she drew a shaky breath.

"Clearly you are right now" Hannah said before she gave a gasp of pleasure as Ronon pressed himself closer to her. There was no mistaking where this was leading and she was more than ready to see it through even with her apprehensions of his expectations of her.

But before she could entertain the idea; a knock sounded at the door followed but the doorbell.

"Ignore it" Ronon told her.

"Hannah!? Open the door" Vala said.

Ronon dropped his head into her neck and groaned as Hannah closed her eyes muttered "Unbelievable" under her breath.

"I'm going to open the door in ten seconds if you don't respond" Vala said.

"I'm here, just give me a minute" Hannah said loudly so Vala could here her. She opened her eyes and locked eyes with Ronon. Their ragged breaths intermingling, she licked her lips and gave a wan smile as her heart was pounding in her chest.

"You have to go, she's not going to leave" she told him as she loosened her arms from around his neck and lowered her legs and placed her feet on the floor. Ronon held her close to her and she felt every hard surface of him.

"We're not finished" he told her.

"Why do I feel like you're going to be saying that a lot around me?" Hannah asked dryly, her legs felt like jelly and she leaned against the wall for support as she was dizzy from need and a severe lack of food.

Ronon looked like he was torn between throttling her and ripping her clothes off to have his merry way with her. He opened his mouth to speak but Vala started to count out a loud from ten. And she saw anger won out as he waved a hand over the sensor opening the door.

Vala stepped back looking surprised as the surly Satedan walked past her without even a 'hello'. Vala turned and watched Ronon walk away admiring the view before she looked to Hannah.

"You dropped this" Vala said offering the bottle Hannah had dropped earlier back to her. Hannah nodded and took the bottle.

"Thanks"

"So want to tell me what that was about?" Vala asked with keen interest.

"It's complicated" Hannah said as she walked over to the lounge and flopped down. She wished Laura was home as she wanted to confide with her and get advice.

"You know you could have just told me what you were doing and to go away" Vala said in an amused tone. Hannah made a face and shook her head. Vala was good friend but Hannah felt suspicious of her and the members of SG-1 that they were trying to orchestrate her life. She knew her suspicious were completely unfounded but it still gnawed at her.

"It's fine, really" Hannah said.

"I highly doubt that. So what are we going to do?" Vala asked.

"I'm going to lie here and rest" Hannah told her.

"That doesn't sound like a lot of fun" Vala remarked.

"I'm hungover" Hannah whimpered as she was in no mood to entertain.

"I know, how about I do your nails" Vala said.

"Fine as long as I don't have to do anything but lie here" Hannah told her. Vala smiled like a kid on Christmas and rose from the lounge.

"Good, I'll go and get my bag of tricks. I'll be back" Vala said.

* * *

><p>"You seen Hannah today?" Sheppard asked Ronon over dinner as they ate at a table by the balcony in the mess. Sheppard had waited an hour for Hannah to appear but when Sam didn't arrive at her usual time he figured they were doing some Mother-Daughter bonding thing as he found a man could set a watch to Sam and her eating habits as she ate dinner at the same time every evening.<p>

"No, why would I?" Ronon said as he stabbed a potato gem quite viciously with his fork. He had been in a bad mood all afternoon as he couldn't wrap his head around Hannah. One minute she was like fire in his arms, the next she was telling how completely wrong a relationship with her would be. It was confusing and he was equally pissed off that she didn't tell Vala to take a hike.

He felt they were in the middle of something serious and Hannah just used Vala as an excuse to run away from him or in this case have him stalk away and endured a ice cold shower.

"Because you and her were a little weird at breakfast" Sheppard remarked as he had noticed Ronon go from impassive and calm mood turn into one of his dark moods. He knew better than to anger a man who stabbed potato gems like they were his mortal enemy but on the other hand they weren't scheduled to spar and it was rather amusing to watch Ronon be reduced to childlike manner.

"We were? I didn't notice" Ronon said as he stabbed yet another potato gen and ate it.

"Are you ok?" Sheppard said with an amused smile as yet another potato gem was stabbed and consumed, he could only imagine what Ronon was like as a kid.

"I'm fine" Ronon snapped. Sheppard's eyebrow rose and he mouthed 'OK' and turned his attention to Lorne who was calmly eating his dinner and looking better after his shower and shave.

"Lorne, tell me how was your vacation with Dr Johnson?" Sheppard asked making conversation. Lorne narrowed his eyes at him for a moment before lifted his cup of coffee.

"You got my report" Lorne said.

"Yes" Sheppard said.

"Did you read it?" Lorne asked before taking a sip of coffee.

"I skimmed it. Were the spiders that big?" Sheppard asked, he was wondering who he had to kill to get a decent conversation at his table.

"Bigger, I really don't want to talk about it" Lorne said setting his cup down on the table.

"So anything that you didn't mention on the report that I should know about?" Sheppard asked. Lorne raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

"Such as?" Lorne asked dryly.

"You, Dr Johnson. Completely alone on a planet" Sheppard drawled. Lorne looked at him with a stony expression that Sheppard had received many a time to know Lorne wasn't going to tell him anything.

"Ok, fine. Now that you're back, you can hold down the fort as I am going off world day after tomorrow to M3X-387" Sheppard informed him petulantly.

"I assumed as much Sir" Lorne said with a wry smile.

* * *

><p>"So Jack-" Sam started but Hannah cut her off.<p>

"Whoa when did you start calling General O'Neill- Jack?" Hannah asked her as she pulled a portion of the crust off her turkey sandwich. Sam had turned up at 6pm with a sack full of water, sandwiches and dessert of fruit cups and chocolate pudding.

So they sat down in the living area Vala and Hannah on the long lounge while Sam had pulled over a one seater chair to sit opposite them.

"I've always have off the clock" Sam said dismissively but her pink tinged cheeks gave her away.

"No you haven't" Hannah said narrowing her eyes at Sam in suspicion. She ate the crust and couldn't help but wonder if the two had finally caved into the chemistry they had. Though she knew Sam nor Jack would openly admit it as it was still technically fraternization as they were both in the same program.

"It started recently and it's not something to get all tied up in" Sam said.

"She has a photo of him on her desk" Vala commented as she picked up a chocolate pudding and tore off the lid. Vala felt proud of herself as she had taken care of Hannah for the better part of the day.

Vala had let the girl sleep and cleaned up some of the clutter before she encourage Hannah to eat an apple and a banana for lunch and then while Hannah was unconscious she painted her toe nails a vibrant red, something Hannah hadn't appeared impressed with but she didn't say anything about removing the nail polish.

"There's a photo of SG-1 and Hannah as well" Sam said slightly defensively.

"But he gets his own special frame" Vala said in a teasing manner before she ate a spoonful of pudding.

"Oh la la maybe mommy and daddy will give me that little sister I've been asking Santa for Christmas for the last 20 years" Hannah said mockingly to Vala who's eyes lit up.

"That is not going to happen" Sam said in dark tone as she didn't like being the butt end of a joke.

"So she admits fraternising with a superior officer" Vala said to Hannah as if they were co-conspirators.

"I admit nothing" Sam said looking dower.

"Uhuh, whatever we know the truth" Vala told her. She turned to Hannah "So I have to ask are you going to stay here or go back to New Athos?" she asked changing the subject away from Sam who was grateful to be out of the spotlight.

Hannah swallowed the bite of her sandwich she had been chewing and shrugged.

"I'm staying here. The Athosians are great and all but they need a break from Ronon and me" Hannah said casually. She wished she could get a moment alone to sort herself out before Ronon came around for another round of trying to wear her down.

"Really? What did you to do?" Sam asked.

"Should be asking what they didn't do" Vala said with grin as Hannah glared at her and Sam raised an eyebrow as she wondered what she was missing in the conversation. Hannah then looked to Sam and shrugged.

"We argued a lot, Athosians aren't big fans of hostile people. Ronon and I are like chalk and cheese and I don't want to wear out my welcome with the Athosians" Hannah said vaguely as she really couldn't come up with a better explanation.

"If you just had sex with him and got it out of your system you'd probably get along great" Vala said, Sam's eyes went wide in shock at the statement as she felt it came a little left of centre.

"That won't work" Hannah told her, feeling her cheeks grow warm.

"How do you know if you don't try?" Vala asked teasingly.

"Maybe you should get laid" Hannah told Vala.

"Maybe we could talk about something other than sex" Sam offered as she knew the conversation would deteriorate quickly.

"Yeah, I agree. Why don't you guys tell me what I've missed out while I was ascended" Hannah said.

* * *

><p>A couple of hours later Hannah said goodnight to Sam and Vala and saw them out the door. She moved through the empty apartment and cleaned up the table of the remnants of their meal. It had been nice to catch up with them but she felt hollowed out by it all like there was this big wall between them and they were on one side while she was on the other.<p>

But then she always felt that way when people talked about the time when she wasn't around. It just felt odd that they all moved on at what she felt was an alarmingly quick time. She sat down on the lounge and gave a sigh as she needed to sleep but wasn't ready to lie down yet. She wished she could just have everything be relatively normal. She pulled her necklace from her pocket and gently held the locket between her fingers.

The last 24 hours had been completely topsy turvy, she felt so incredibly lost in her situation it made her wish for the early days of her life. It seemed much easier back then all before it went to hell.

"Jason, I miss you" she murmured softly. She knew he was gone forever but she did find a small sense of peace in having the necklace back in her possession. It was a reminder of not only the bad time but also of the good times. She undid the clasp of the necklace and placed the necklace around her neck and locked the clasp. She pulled the locket down into place and for the first time in weeks felt a sense of calm wash over her.

* * *

><p><em><strong>TBC-<strong> Thank you for all the reviews and anyone who is still reading this story many apologies for how I dropped this story suddenly... I had major issues with my health which got in the way but I am now slowly recovering and while I can't commit to regular updates will try to finish this story. Also apologies for my OCish Ronon but I'm doing my best. If Anyone has any helpful advice I'd be happy to hear it otherwise ..Please continue to enjoy :-)_


	28. Chapter 28

_A/N: Apologies for long delays and for OCish Ronon..please enjoy!_

* * *

><p>Chapter 28<p>

Two days later,

"I don't see why we have to go to this planet" McKay said as Sheppard, Sam, Teyla and Ronon sat in the briefing room.

"Because I have itchy feet and you need some fresh air" Sheppard told him as they had spent the last hour going over the mission specs of M3X-397. McKay of course couldn't see the point as it looked to be a lush forest planet with no signs of civilisation or a hint of some exciting new technology for him to investigate.

Ronon did as he always did during the briefing which was lounge back and watch Sheppard and McKay argue about it while Teyla played diplomat. It was an Athosian trait, one he would never be able to attain as his people preferred to less peaceful methods of negotiation.

He barely listened the briefing as his purpose was purely superfluous to the mission. He just kept his eyes open for trouble and it was not something one could be 'briefed' about before stepping onto the planet. So he sat back and thought over his current situation with Hannah while the others talked.

Looking back on the past two days he wished he hadn't meant to bulldoze her like he had outside her quarters. They were supposed to talk, sure he wasn't good with his words but he was willing to try but he could see Hannah was going to tear herself apart before giving into what was between them and he couldn't watch that. He was tired of being in pain, watching people he cared about go through such anguish. So he kissed her and took the next logical steps of moving towards her bedroom.

Then as fate would have it, they had been interrupted. He gotten angry first at Hannah as she pushed him away, denied him to speak with Vala as if belittling what they had going on between them. But really he was angrier at his lack of self control. It was why he had given Hannah a wide berth for two days. Allow her to recover from her hangover so she would be thinking more clearly. Hell, he needed to think more clearly, if anything he needed a plan but he wasn't entirely sure to court a woman like Hannah. She was not like any of the women he knew on Sateda nor did he know how such rituals worked on Earth. He hadn't bothered to pay attention as he didn't think he would need to know and even then it wasn't like he had a lot of experience with relationships considering his stint as a runner and the fact that most women on Atlantis gave him a wider berth. He knew they were attracted to him but it was just in the physical sense. Something that didn't entirely appeal to him, Ronon turned his attention back to the table.

"Can't I miss this one planet?" McKay asked politely which was rather surprising for the man but then there was a mocking lilt to his tone.

"No, Rodney. You can't pick and choose the missions." Colonel Carter said to McKay.

"But Dr Parrish and Major Lorne's team would be better suited to this mission"

"McKay, do I have to repeat myself?" Colonel Carter asked in an exhausted tone, apparently the commander's patience was running thin between her duties and dealing with Vala and scientists like McKay.

"No" McKay said sullenly knowing he was beat. Sheppard wore a smug smile.

"Good, you all leave in four hours. Have a Safe Journey. Dismissed" Carter said to them, she rose from her seat and they all stood up out of respect. She walked out first, followed by Sheppard and McKay who had started bickering again. Ronon felt Teyla's eyes on him.

"What?" he asked.

"You're distracted" she told him in her unnervingly calm manner.

"Routine mission, nothing exciting. What did I miss?" Ronon asked as they walked out of the briefing room together.

"Nothing, but you have been off with your thoughts of late. Would you like to talk about what is on your mind?" Teyla asked.

"No" Ronon said. He watched her lips curve in a smile like she knew what his problem was without him saying it. It annoyed him when she did that.

* * *

><p>Hannah stirred awake when she heard the front door to the quarters open and the footfalls of Vala's boots. The woman walked in such a manner it was easy to tell it was her.<p>

"Are you going to sleep all of the time?" Vala asked.

"I'm healing, it involves resting" Hannah informed her as the woman came into her bedroom and flopped down on the bed beside her.

"You're naked again aren't you?" Vala asked her as Hannah had the blanket covering her from under chin to the middle of her thighs.

"It's my bedroom and since I'm not in the military I'll sleep how I like …Why am I explaining myself to you?" Hannah asked in an exasperated tone as she placed a hand over her mouth and gave a yawn. She had spent the past two days resting heavily with the assistance of muscle relaxants she had taken from Laura's stash of meds.

It helped with the pain of her ribs that were still mending and it was good to have a couple nights of mindless sleep and not endure any nightmares. Sure she woke up with a tiny drug hangover but it was better than waking up hoarse and miserable. She told herself she needed the sleep to heal and it was working as her muscles ached less and her ribs were healing nicely.

"Because I asked nicely" Vala said with a smile.

"Of course" Hannah said dryly. Silence lapsed between them and Hannah closed her eyes ready to go back to sleep.

"So you want to go to the mess and eat some breakfast?" Vala asked, Hannah opened her eyes and turned her face to the clock by her bed. It read 10:30 am. She knew Vala would not leave her and it was probably best to get up.

"Sure, just let me throw on some clothes" Hannah said rising from her bed. She held the doona to her chest and looked at Vala. "You mind?" she asked nicely. Vala smiled as she realised Hannah wanted some privacy.

"Oh right, I'll be outside" Vala said as she gestured in the direction she was going. She left the room and Hannah turned her attention to getting dressed.

* * *

><p>"Morning Sunshine" Sheppard said in a cheerful manner as he sat down opposite Hannah who was currently in the mess occupying a table by the veranda enjoying the morning sun. Vala had been sharing her company until Sam called her away, for what purpose; Hannah didn't know.<p>

"Sheppard, you're looking happy" Hannah said as she took a sip of her coffee.

"All is well, Lorne is back and I'm going off world in 2 hours" Sheppard told her, a smile spreading across his lips.

"If that's the case why aren't you picking your outfit out and doing your hair" Hannah replied in a teasing manner before she went back to eating her breakfast. She couldn't help but look around to see if Ronon was nearby as it had been two days since they had seen one another. As most days wherever Sheppard was Ronon usually wasn't far behind.

"If you're looking for Ronon he's probably sharpening his weapons or at the Gym" Sheppard said casually as he noted Hannah looking around and decided to not take her bait about his comportment.

"Actually I was looking for Teyla." Hannah stated dryly but she felt her cheeks warm at being so open with her thoughts. She was looking for Ronon but she wasn't sure if she wanted to see him or run for the hills. Romantic entanglements were fraught at best for her as the first and only real romantic relationship she had was with Jason and he had taken lead. With Ronon it was like a dance where neither of them knew the moves so they kept stepping on each other's toes.

"Oh well I don't know where she is" Sheppard said with a shrug, his smile not leaving his lips. Hannah was incredibly tempted to smack it off his face as it seemed a little smug for her taste but didn't.

"Then what good are you to me?" she asked teasingly. Sheppard laughed at her sarcasm.

"Oh you'll keep" Sheppard told her while she smiled tauntingly at him. "So what are you doing today?"

"Nothing" Hannah said before she ate another spoonful of oatmeal. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Why does that make me uncomfortable?" he asked.

"Because if we discount my death and ascension, I'm roughly 8 years old and very unruly" she said mockingly.

"Getting into trouble" he offered.

"Me, getting into trouble. That never happens" Hannah deadpanned, Sheppard gave a chuckle.

* * *

><p>Two hours later,<p>

"What are you doing?" Demming asked Hannah when he came into his lab to find Hannah at his computer typing madly while looking intensely at the computer. He walked up behind her and saw she was looking through personnel files.

"Just messing around" She told him as she cancelled her search but it was too late he saw what she was looking at on the screen. Not exactly what she was looking at but enough.

"Looking at personnel records of the Atlantis expedition. I didn't know that you had the clearance for that" Demming said innocently as Hannah logged out completely and turned to face him.

"I got clearance to it about 15 minutes ago" She said idly and he raised an eyebrow as he knew her clearance was questionable at best. And he was right to doubt her as she technically gave herself clearance by hacking the system.

"Ok I'll bite" he said folding his arms and looking at her.

"Nothing to bite, I'm just messing around" Hannah said swivelling in her chair acting as calmly as she could.

"And I'm Queen Mary of Scots" Demming deadpanned.

"Good for you" Hannah said pretending to not get the Monty Python reference.

"Now seriously what were you looking for? And why my labs?" he asked her.

"Well you do have a well stocked fridge and a computer" she said with a smile but he wasn't impressed with her answer.

"You're going to get me into trouble. So, I'd like to know the truth" Demming said. Hannah pursed her lips for a moment before she decided honesty was the best policy.

"You know how I got my memories back?" Hannah asked him.

"Yeah" he said.

"Well I've remembered something that maybe a threat to Atlantis" Hannah said carefully, she watched as Demming looked shocked and confused.

"What?" he asked.

"A possible Lucian Alliance threat" Hannah said.

"Have you shared this with anyone else?" Demming asked she could hear the scepticism in his tone and wished for once someone would cut her some slack and pretended that they believed.

"Yeah but without solid proof I just come off as a crazy person flinging accusations left right and centre" Hannah said a little frustrated as Demming looked at her like Sheppard did when she told him like he really didn't want to know about it.

"Well you did have a good go at Doctor Jackson and he's the golden child of the SGC" Demming said wryly, it made Hannah's lips quirk in humour about Daniel being the 'golden child' but it soon turned to a scowl as she felt the anger and fear unfurl inside her from the memories of him. She couldn't wait for the day when she was completely indifferent but until then she had to ignore it and not talk about Daniel.

"I prefer not to talk about him" Hannah said she tried to sound casual but it came out a little too dark.

"I'm not looking to have a pow wow about that guy but you did lose your shit pretty good when he dropped by. So I can see why now you're lurking around" Demming said teasingly.

"I'm not lurking, I'm investigating" Hannah said defensively. Demming smiled and clasped his hands on her shoulder.

"No offence but why?" Demming asked her giving her a little shake.

"What do you mean?" she asked confused.

"You're just asking for trouble and that's the last thing you need. You're back, why not stay out of the office politics and enjoy your freedom a little" he said, Hannah narrowed her eyes at him.

"That's an interesting suggestion" Hannah said feeling suspicious of Demming as he wanted her to stop looking into a situation that was a danger to them all.

Who knew what the Lucian Alliance wanted with them all but then his words sunk in and she realised he was right in a small way. She was asking for trouble, so what? she'd find proof of the spies in their ranks and then tell Sam. What she do? just haul them in and then there would be a stand-off between the Lucian alliance and the SGC. Nothing would be resolved and the threat would continue because the Lucian Alliance would have contingency plans to their presence being discovered.

She realised it would be useless and she would be in the spotlight yet again, something she didn't want. But she wanted Atlantis to be safe from unsavoury characters like the Goa'uld and the Lucian Alliance and that was the rub as she couldn't do anything without it turning into a big melodrama with her in the middle of it.

"Hey! don't make that face at me. I'm not a spy, I'm just saying if you already told a higher up about it. Let them solve it. Lord knows Colonel Carter been around the block once or twice. Let her deal with it" Demming said.

"You're shocking. I thought you'd be all over this" Hannah told him.

"To be honest, I love it here and if I stick my nose where it doesn't belong I may get booted back to Earth and I don't want that. I also think you've done your dues on helping the human race so why not live it up a little?" Demming said to her.

"Live it up a little?" she repeated in a dull tone as she wasn't entirely sure what he meant by the suggestion.

"Yeah, just mess around the place. Help out once and awhile with translations of stuff and what not. Have a beer and watch a movie. Whatever, you know stuff that doesn't involve you getting hurt or killed" he said with a shrug as he moved away from her to the fridge.

"Please tell me you covered your tracks when you used my computer because I don't want to get into anymore trouble" he said as he pulled out two bottles of water. He offered a bottle to Hannah but she declined with the shake of her head.

"Of course I did" Hannah said.

"Good, so out of curiosity did you find anything?" he asked before he took a sip of water.

"No, nothing" Hannah said, it made her doubt herself over what Wallace had eluded to. Maybe he blamed her for every SGC soldier killed by the ORI not the men who had died by her hand. Maybe she needed to take a few steps back and just let go of it until Wallace tried to have another go at her.

"Well then there you go, just leave it be" Demming told her. She opened her mouth to argue the point but stopped as Mike Branton stuck his head into the room.

"Oh hey am I interrupting?" Mike asked.

"No, I was just leaving" Hannah said. She looked to Demming "Thanks for the computer time" she told him before she moved to the door. Mike smiled and stepped out of the way so she could pass.

"So you're back" Mike said to Hannah.

"Yeah" Hannah replied, she felt her mood lift but Mike was one of those people who just exuded positive energy that uplifted a person in the foulest of moods. It also helped that he treated her like a 'normal' person.

"You want to catch up? Have lunch tomorrow at 12?" he asked her. Hannah took a moment to think about it and then nodded.

"Sure, I'll meet you at the mess hall" she said she gave a wave and turned her back to him walking to the nearest transporter.

When she reached the transporter she realised that she had nothing to do and nowhere to be. She couldn't exercise until her ribs were healed and she had no desire to talk to anyone as she wasn't interested in reminiscing or having a 'deep and meaningful' conversation. So it only left her one option, to go back to her quarters and sleep until Vala woke her up again.

* * *

><p>The next day,<p>

"I cannot even begin to tell you how bizarre it was." Teyla said to Hannah who sat at the head of the table the furthest seat from Ronon who sat by the guard rail.

Hannah had woken up at 5am and was amazed at how she slept on and off through the afternoon before snagging an early dinner by herself. She had then slept through the night without a single nightmare or Vala waking her up. She rose from the bed and stretched her arms above her head. She surprisingly felt good and hungry. Very hungry.

So after a quick shower she had come to the mess where she ran into Teyla and thus invited to join her for breakfast. They joined Ronon and McKay who had already snagged a table. So she sat at the head of the table in furthest seat away from Ronon so there would not be any unintentional touching. Just sitting at the same table was enough to get her body wired and heated in anticipation. She should be angry at him for leaving her alone for two days with no word or anything. It confused and annoyed her but thanks to her restful night even Ronon's odd nature couldn't shake her good mood. At least not yet, maybe if they were alone it would be different but right now in a group she was relatively safe to enjoy her good mood and breakfast of oatmeal with fresh fruit, maple syrup and yogurt.

"Please, you want bizarre? Let me tell you." McKay started to say but Ronon cut him off.

"You know what? Don't." Ronon told him. Hannah smiled as she ate her oatmeal as McKay almost looked hopeful at being able to tell his story only for Ronon to squash it. Ronon cleared his throat and looked pointedly at Teyla and then behind her.

"Morning" Sheppard said greeting them.

"Hey, I save you a seat" Hannah said as she pushed the chair out with her foot for him. Sheppard smiled and sat down next to Teyla and looked at Hannah wondering why she was sitting at the head of the table.

But dismissed it as he realised McKay was looking at him weirdly. It wasn't just him, Ronon had sat up a little straighter in his chair and shot a look at Teyla who was looking uncomfortable.

"What?" Sheppard asked.

"Teyla had a dream about you last night." McKay said in a smug way.

"Really? What was it about?" Sheppard said intrigued at what would make Teyla squirm he automatically thought it was a sex dream. But then she wouldn't admit something like that to McKay. Teyla cleared her throat and shifted in her chair.

"Actually, it was more of a nightmare, and I'd rather not talk about it." Teyla said in her quiet manner.

"Was I the dashing hero saving you from a big bad monster?" Sheppard asked teasingly, it wasn't very often he could get tease her. He slid a smile at Hannah who was watching avidly while eating a bowl of oatmeal. She almost looked like her old self which comforted Sheppard immensely as he was afraid she would be lost forever.

"Actually, you were the big, bad monster." Ronon said with a smile.

"Really?" Sheppard said surprised looking at Teyla who would not make eye contact with him.

"Like I said, I'd rather not talk about it." Teyla said, she rose from her chair and Sheppard frowned as he was just having a little fun.

"Where are you going?" Sheppard asked.

"I'm sorry. I have a headache. I did not sleep well last night." Teyla said, she threw a glare at Ronon and McKay before she left the table. Sheppard watched her go and then turned his attention back to the table.

"Is she really mad at me? I can't control what's in her dreams!" Sheppard said defensively, he wondered if he should go after Teyla and apologise to her. But before he could make a decision McKay spoke up.

"Really? " McKay scoffed, he moved forward in his chair "You think you can't control a person's dreams? My father read me _Moby Dick_ when I was seven years old. I mean, seriously, what was the man thinking? Do you have any idea how long I had nightmares about-about being eaten by a whale?" McKay asked Sheppard.

"They haven't stopped, have they?" Ronon asked McKay.

"No." McKay said sullenly. Hannah and Sheppard squashed their amusement and tried to be sympathetic towards McKay but it was difficult considering the man's propensity for drama.

"Hannah, what's your take?" Sheppard said looking to Hannah maybe she would be able to offer him a female view. Hannah stopped mid chew and looked at him for a moment before she gave a shrug.

"You should eat more oatmeal, it's good for you" She told him looking at his scrambled eggs, thick rashes of bacon, pancakes and the copious amount of maple syrup on his tray. If she were honest, she wished she had gone for a big breakfast as she was now craving some bacon and maple syrup with pancakes.

"How is that advice?" Sheppard asked as he made a face at her.

"Oh you wanted advice about Teyla?" Hannah asked mockingly.

"No, I was asking about McKay" Sheppard said dryly. Hannah chuckled before holding her hands up in mock surrender as Sheppard scowled.

"Ok" Hannah said she sat back and gave it some thought or pretended to before she gave her advice. "Let it go and move on" Hannah told him as she snagged a rasher of crispy bacon off his tray and dipped it in the maple syrup before eating it with glee. Sheppard frowned and Hannah waited for him to complain about her bacon theft.

"Let it go?" he asked her in disbelief as he was expecting more.

"Yeah, she doesn't want to talk about it. So let it go and move on" Hannah said repeating her advice. "So do you know when the Daedalus will be back?" Hannah asked changing topics.

"Not for a while, why?" Sheppard asked.

"I miss Cadman" Hannah said looking slightly forlorn, she reached across and was about to pinch another rasher of bacon but Sheppard slapped her hand away.

"I know but if you're going to eat your emotions eat someone else's bacon or get your own" Sheppard said as he moved his tray away from her. Hannah gave him a closed lipped smile as she swallowed the grape she had stolen from his tray.

"It's called sharing and you can have some of my oatmeal in trade. Lord knows you need it for your cholesterol old man" Hannah said with a mocking smile as she pushed her bowl towards him, Sheppard made a face that said he'd rather eat his boot.

"Backhanded compliment and you're looking bright this morning. Are you high?" He asked leaning forward checking her pupils, he was only half joking as he and Hannah locked eyes.

"Do I look high?" she asked as she moved closer opening her eyes wide at him.

"No, you look rested" Ronon said as he had enough of Sheppard and Hannah toing and froing with one another. He couldn't help the sting of jealousy that she was playful with Sheppard. Hannah stole more of Sheppard's bacon to which Sheppard made a noise of disapproval, she then leaned back into her chair looked at Ronon for a moment and he swore he saw a faint smile on her lips before she chewed the bacon looking satisfied with herself.

The woman was going to make him kill his best friend if she kept doing what she was doing to him. _She should have been eating my bacon… _he thought petulantly but then he didn't have any bacon for her to steal and she was sitting too far away for her to be playful with.

"Well I did happen to sleep through the night and woke up blissfully alone" Hannah said.

"So you weren't alone when you went to bed?" Sheppard asked teasingly, Ronon couldn't help but sit up at the question. The motion not missed by Sheppard but Ronon ignored the eyebrow raise Sheppard sent him and looked to Hannah. She made a derisive noise and shook her head.

"Please, I was alone but Vala's been coming into my quarters and waking me up in the mornings. It's not the greatest way to wake up" Hannah said, she looked around the mess to make sure Vala wasn't behind her as she didn't want to upset the woman.

"I'm sure" Sheppard said in an amused tone.

"So how was your trip off world?"

"Quite interesti-" McKay started but Ronon cut him off.

"Boring" he said. Hannah looked from Ronon to Sheppard who gave a shrug.

"It was pretty routine until we found a glowing rock thing. McKay hoped it was something exciting so that he wins a bet against Radik" Sheppard said.

"But Colonel Carter refused to send back a science team because it's not a 'significant' find" McKay said sarcastically.

"Really?" Hannah asked feigning interest.

"Budget" Sheppard said as if it was enough.

"Ah" Hannah said as she understood completely.

"So what are you going today?" Sheppard asked Hannah turning the conversation back to her. Hannah gave a shrug.

"I'm thinking finishing my oatmeal, going for a walk-"

"Hey we could play golf" Sheppard said to her.

"Don't you have work?" Hannah asked him as she could tell by the look on his face that he really just wanted an excuse to play golf. She on the other hand could think of a million other things she could do with her time. She could see McKay and Ronon were doing their best to stay out of it. _Obviously they aren't golf enthusiasts..._ Hannah silently mused.

"Nothing that can't wait" he told her.

"If I remember correctly I'm horrid at Golf" Hannah told him, hoping she wouldn't have to say no outright.

"I'll help your swing. We are playing a round of golf after breakfast" Sheppard told her firmly. Hannah gave up and nodded as she could see she wasn't going to get out of it and she was sure Sheppard was only 5 seconds away from telling her that she owed him or told him that she promised to play a round with him.

"Only if I'm done by lunch" Hannah told him.

"Got a date?" Sheppard teased. Hannah rolled her eyes at his juvenile tone and tried not to blush under Ronon's stare as it became intense.

"No, but I promised Branton that I'd have lunch with him" Hannah told Sheppard.

"Lunch with Branton. Alone?" Sheppard asked as he was doing so for Ronon's sake not his. He had no idea what was going on between the two but he was definitely going to make sure Ronon didn't tear up the city looking for Hannah or worse tearing Branton to pieces. He could feel the hostility roll off the big guy.

"We'll be in the mess hall, so no not alone. Why are you asking?" Hannah asked Sheppard.

"Oh will you two just get a room" McKay drawled sarcastically, Hannah and Sheppard looked to him and a smile spread across her lips.

"We're already in a room" she said in a leery manner to McKay.


	29. Chapter 29

Half an hour later, after ruining McKay's appetite with a few lude comments and finishing their breakfast Sheppard and Hannah went to his quarters and picked up his clubs before they went the designated recreational area for Golf. It was a balcony on a building which was situated on the outer edge of the city. The railing was stripped out of the balcony and astro turf laid down.

"Ok, so we'll brush up on the rules-" Sheppard started.

"Whoever wacks the ball the furthest distance wins" Hannah said in a bored tone as she pulled a random club out of the bag and twirled it in her hand. She looked out at the view and smiled as it was breathtaking.

"Yeah exactly. Don't cheat" Sheppard told her as he set up two golf balls onto tees for them.

"How could I cheat?" Hannah asked as she stood near her 'designated' area and looked down at the ball and then up at the view. She knew nothing about Golf except for what she had seen in Caddy Shack and the few times she played she hadn't been very good. But she had never played Golf Atlantis style or with Sheppard.

"You just can." Sheppard said a bit miffed as he recalled the first time he tried to teach Ronon how to play golf. Hannah looked at him waiting for him to elaborate."Look take your club. See the ball on the tee and give it a good wack" He told her. Hannah tried not to think too long on the innuendo of Sheppard's comment as she turned to look at him.

"You brought me out with broken ribs to exert myself" Hannah said dryly.

"They should be nearly healed and you're on pain meds. So stop being a little girl and hit the ball" Sheppard told her mockingly.

"Fine" Hannah huffed, she drew the club back and was about to swing when Sheppard spoke.

"So you and Ronon" He said, Hannah paused with her club in mid air.

"I'm trying to swing here" She told him as she held her club up in the air. Sheppard looked mockingly apologetic as he raised one hand in surrender.

"Right, sorry" He said with a sweep of the hand gesturing for her to swing. Hannah pursed her lips and was about to swing again but Sheppard spoke again.

"Have you two worked it out?" he asked. Hannah turned to face him and slid into one hand.

"Do you want me to hit these little balls or yours?" She asked him in a dark manner as she was sorely tempted to club Sheppard and give the tiny golf ball on the ground temporary reprieve from drowning in the ocean.

"I'd prefer you hit the golf balls" Sheppard said his smile broad as he knew he was getting under her skin.

"Thankyou" Hannah said. She turned her back to him and lined up her shot but this time she knew he was going to talk and if on cue she was midway through her swing when he spoke again.

"But really-" he started, she hit the ball but due to his distraction didn't make it far. She turned around and glared at him.

"Seriously?" she asked cutting him off.

"Just throw me a bone here" Sheppard said.

"Fine, nothing is resolved and it's none of your business. Now will you let it drop?" Hannah asked him.

"Then why are you so happy?" Sheppard asked her.

"I told you, I didn't have a nightmare for one blissful night. I didn't have my morning invaded and I was able to go have breakfast when I wanted to. It was great" Hannah said as she went to get another golf ball to hit. She was definitely missing the whole point of how 'exciting' golf but Sheppard looked happy as he hit his golf ball off into the ocean.

"Like you're normal" Sheppard said turning to her.

"As close as I can get" Hannah said tossing him another golf ball.

"I guess I can understand that" Sheppard said as he placed it on his tee and moved back.

"Good, so tell me what are you doing about Wallace and Fisk?" Hannah asked as she moved to her side again.

"Nothing" Sheppard said, Hannah turned around to him and frowned.

"Nothing? They're-" she started but he cut her off.

"I can't find anything to suggest they are and before you get bent out of shape I did look into it." Sheppard said.

"Not hard enough" Hannah muttered under her breath as she turned back to him.

"Excuse me?" Sheppard said offended that she would not trust him to be diligent.

"Sorry" She said but her tone was anything but apologetic. She turned back to face him and saw he was angry as he glared at her.

"Damn right. While you were on New Athos with Ronon, I dug around their records, followed them, even searched their quarters while they were off world. Which by the way crossed so many boundaries that I am not comfortable with but I did it because I believed you" Sheppard said, Hannah felt a sting as he had said 'believed' not 'believe' but she didn't interrupt him. "But their financials are in order, they don't spend above their means, not in debt. Their do their jobs, maybe not efficiently as I'd like but there aren't any red flags, nothing to suspect them let alone pull them in for questioning" Sheppard told her.

"But-" She started argue but Sheppard cut her off.

"I know what they did was wrong and if you want to come forward and press charges" he said but Hannah shook her head.

"No, no one will believe me" Hannah said.

"I do" Sheppard said, but even he had some doubt about her claim that Fisk and Wallace were Lucian Alliance. He believed she was attacked, that Wallace and fisk had gotten her at a disadvantage.

"No you don't, not really" She argued seeing the doubt in his eyes.

"I know you and Wallace have a history of getting into fights-" Sheppard started but she cut him off.

"He told me I'm scum, I'm not human because I was cooked in a lab and that I taint the human race with my existence. But really he's just jealous because I'm better at everything than he is and that emasculates him" Hannah told him.

"Either way it's bad blood" Sheppard said playing devil's advocate.

"And you think me accusing him of being Lucian Alliance will make everyone think I'm trying to get back into the spotlight" Hannah said incredulously.

"You do tend to have trouble gravitate to you and vice versa"

"So you think I'm making it up because I'm bored and I don't Wallace so hey I'll just come up with a story so I'll get everyone's attention again"

"No but it's what it will look like if you do go through with it. Anyway, I think you need to let this one go" Sheppard told her, his tone was imploring as he just wanted her to keep her down and stay out of trouble. He wanted to keep her in Atlantis where she belonged.

"I-"

"Hannah, they are clean. Maybe Wallace said what he did to antagonize you into doing exactly this. To make you appear crazy" Sheppard suggested.

"Do you think I'm crazy?" Hannah asked him. Sheppard realised he had really stepped in it this time and was not feeling comfortable with Hannah weilding a golf club.

"About as crazy as I am but if you tell Colonel Carter about this she is going to flip her lid. Where does it leave you when there's nothing to corroborate your accusations?" Sheppard asked her. Silence passed uncomfortably between them as Hannah realised she was definitely not getting Sheppard's complete support. A trend that was regularly occuring for her in Atlantis, so she needed to take a new tactic.

"Fine, I'm dropping it" She told him, Sheppard moved toward her and gave her a serious look.

"Look me in the eyes and promise me you'll let this go" Sheppard told her.

"I promise, happy?" Hannah asked him.

"Not entirely but it will have to do for now" he said teasing her, Hannah gave an exasperated sigh, only Sheppard diffuse an argument with humour. It was truly a gift.

"You know you can be a real pain in my ass" She told him, shaking her head at him with a wry smile on her lips.

"Yeah but you love me, it's why you came back" Sheppard joked. Hannah laughed.

* * *

><p>"Do you think the ends always justify the means?" Mike asked in a casual manner. Hannah who was mid bite of jelly paused with the spoon in her mouth and gave him a weird look before she removed the spoon from her mouth and swallowed the jelly.<p>

"I don't know, depends on the situation and the information on hand at the time" She said slowly as she wondered how their conversation had taken such a serious turn. Lunch had been filled with humour and levity, something she enjoyed.

"I'm generalising" he replied.

"I noticed" Hannah said sitting back in her chair, an amused smile playing her lips.

"So?" he asked.

"No" Hannah said shaking her head.

"Really?" He asked, Hannah sat forward in her chair again and spoke in a low voice as she didn't want anyone to overhear them. Mike leaned forward in his chair with keen interest to hear her response.

"Yeah, take the ORI and my hand in it. Everyone thinks I'm this amazing person who did the impossible but really I just crossed a lot of lines; morally and ethically that no one else would. If the outcome had been different you'd all be cursing my existence" She said she sat back and gave a shrug. She was learning quickly it was best to be honest or as close as she could comfortably get with her past.

"Your honesty is refreshing" Mike said before he took a sip of water and placed the bottle back onto the table.

"You asked and can we talk about something a little more uplifting?" Hannah asked.

"Like small children, puppies and rainbows?" Mike offered.

"Yeah exactly" she said as she ate another spoonful of jelly. Mike chuckled and leaned forward in his chair.

"Well before we do can you tell me why Ronon looks like he wants to tear me to pieces for the past twenty minutes?" Mike asked in a low voice. Hannah looked over her shoulder and saw Ronon staring right at her. Subtly was not his forte, neither was it Sheppard's as the man waved at her. Hannah rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Mike.

"That is a long story but don't worry you're safe. He's more angry at me than you" Hannah assured him.

"What did you do?" Mike asked. Hannah made a face as she was not going to admit her problems with Ronon to Mike.

"I acted like a petulant child for two weeks straight on New Athos even he has his limits" Hannah said with a smile, Mike weighed her answer for a moment.

"Right, if you and he-" he started and Hannah's smile dropped as she realised what he was eluding to.

"You're my friend right?" She asked.

"Yes, of course" he said almost immediately. She gave a closed lip smile.

"Then let's not push this subject because even if you wanted to be more than a friend to me. I'm not in right place to offer you what you deserve" She told him. She could see he was disappointed with her words.

"What I deserve?" Mike asked her.

"Yeah, the whole white picket fence, 3 kids, lazy Sundays in bed with the crossword. That's not me or my life and it never will be" Hannah told him.

"Do I say all of that?" Mike asked in a teasing manner.

"Yeah you do" Hannah assured him.

"Well the lazy Sundays in bed with the crossword does sound appealing" he admitted in good humour.

* * *

><p>Ronon scowled as he watched Hannah and Mike having lunch. He'd been reduced to stalking her and watching her eat lunch and laugh with another man. Mike Branton, he could crush the man in seconds.<p>

"You should wait until after Hannah and Branton have parted ways then approach her" Sheppard said offering the Satedan some advice.

"I'm not approaching her" Ronon said, it was high time Hannah came to him and not the other way round but he knew it wasn't going to be like that. But he could dream.

"Well she's not going to come to you" Sheppard told him, confirming Ronon's thoughts either way Ronon raised a questioning eyebrow at Sheppard. The man gave a sigh and looked a little uncomfortable as he leaned forward and spoke in a low voice. "Hannah, she's..." Sheppard drawled trying to find the right words.

"She's what?" Ronon asked as he couldn't help but watch Sheppard squirm with discomfort. It reminded him of the time Sheppard approached him to join his team.

"She's not exactly switched on if you catch my drift?" Sheppard said, his face scrunching up as he knew he wasn't doing a good job.

"I don't" Ronon said looking at him blankly as he had no idea what Sheppard was getting at.

"You have to tell her right out what you want and let her decide" Sheppard told him.

"Ok" Ronon said uncomfortably as he really didn't like it when Sheppard gave him relationship/love advice. It made it feel a little like the blind leading the blind.

"And that's all the advice I'm giving you" Sheppard told him.

"Good" Ronon grunted.

* * *

><p>A couple of hours later,<p>

Hannah reclined on the lounge in her living quarters with the tablet computer she swiped from Rodney's lab. She should feel guilty for commandeering something so precious to McKay but he had 6 of them and it pleased her to no end that he would flip his lid for a few hours trying to find it before she returned it.

She couldn't help it that he had full access to Atlantis' databases. She just wasn't ready to give up the search but then after a few hours dredging through the database she soon realised she could probably resolve it all with one conversation.

* * *

><p>Hours later,<p>

Ronon strolled into the mess, he winced as he touched his forehead where the stitches were fresh along with the unnerving nightmare he had when he dozed off under Dr Keller's ministrations. He could smell the dirt Sheppard had piled on top of him, he shook his head. _Just a nightmare.._ he told himself. He picked up a bottle of water from the main table and heard Hannah's voice, he looked over to the coffee station where she stood, talking animatedly with Major Lorne while drinking coffee. What was it with her? Every time he ran into her she was talking to another man. He idly wondered if she was toying with him but then Sheppard had told him she wasn't 'good' with romantic entanglements. Knowledge Ronon wished Sheppard didn't have.

He squared his shoulders and went over to Hannah and Lorne who burst out laughing. Hannah's smile was brilliant as a blush spread across her cheeks. He sidled up to them and Hannah sobered from her laugh as she saw the bandaid on his forehead.

"Ronon, what happened?" Hannah asked, he felt pleasure wash over him as he saw she was concerned.

"Sheppard got lucky" Ronon said, Lorne gave a closed lipped smile as it was rare for Sheppard to get 'lucky' when it came to sparring with Ronon. Obviously Sheppard had said something that put Ronon off his game.

"More like he got in a cheap shot" Hannah said wincing as she reached out and touched him. When their skin connected, Hannah felt a sharp shock of pain run through her. She hissed from the pain and black spots skittered in her vision as a wave of nausea and dizziness washed over her. Her knees went weak and her body leaned dangerously off balanced.

Ronon had thought about thinking of allowing Sheppard to do more damage to hs person as it garnered Hannah's attention and touch that was until she touched him, he watched her go pale. Pain etched into her features for a moment before her eyes glazed over and her knees buckled but before she could fall both Ronon and Lorne caught her by and elbow. Ronon to stop her from falling while Lorne to steady the cup of hot coffee she had in her hand. Whatever had affected her passed quickly as they steadied her, colour returned to her face.

"Whoa, you ok there?" Lorne asked Hannah as she blinked a couple of times. He took the coffee she had been holding from her hand and placed it on the table.

"Yeah, I just got a little woozy for a second" Hannah said still feeling dizzy.

"Maybe you should sit down" Lorne suggested as he exchanged concerned look with Ronon.

"Yeah I think I will" Hannah said weakly, she allowed Lorne to take her cup of coffee out of her hand.

"Good, I'll leave you in Ronon's hands as I have to get back to the Control room." Lorne said leaving them. Hannah watched the Major walk away taking the time to garner her strength as she would need it with Ronon.

"I can walk without assistance" Hannah told Ronon, she had released her hold on his arm but there was no way in hell he was going to let go of her.

"You're still weak" he told her, he saw a flash of anger cross her eyes and wondered why it was so difficult for her to just let him take care of her. But instead of arguing with him as he expected she gave a sigh of resignation and just nodded.

"Fine but if you try and pick me up I will hurt you" Hannah told him as she started walking slowly to the balcony, her legs felt like jelly so it was probably lucky Ronon was still holding onto her.

"Maybe I should take you to the Infirmary" Ronon said as he noticed she bypassed the chairs and directed them to the balcony railing. He was grateful that the mess was empty bar a few scientists but then they were too engrossed with their computers to look up and see what was going on around them.

"I will definitely hurt you if you take me there" Hannah told him, a wry smile curved his lips as she was definitely recovering. She leaned against the railing looking out at the night sky and the city. He uncapped his water and passed it to her.

"Or we go somewhere more private. Drink" he told her, Hannah took the bottle and looked at him.

"So we can talk?" Hannah asked dryly, she took a sip of water. The last time they tried to 'talk' it ended up being a heated make out session. One that could of easily ended up with them in bed, using their tongues for other more pleasurable actitivties than talking.

"You know what I want" he said in a low voice. He was pretty sure he had made himself clear on what he wanted.

"Sex" she said being blunt. There was no point in beating around the bush. Even now she felt the tension and that taste of anticipation between them. Hell, if she were a weaker woman, she'd just fall right into arms and let him do whatever he wanted. She knew exactly what he wanted the only problem was that she wasn't sure she was capable of giving it to him.

"I want more" Ronon stated.

"More?" she asked as she passed the bottle of water back to him. "More what? sex?" she asked being obtuse and hoping he'd either settle for something physical or just get frustrated and leave her alone. If she were honest she was hoping for the latter as she was sure sex was not the answer for either of them. Ronon said nothing but he did glower at her in a patronising manner and so she licked her lips feeling frustrated that he was going be patient and wait for her to be an adult.

"Ok, you want more. What does that mean? Like you want to date me?" she asked a little flustered as she could not imagine him taking her to the movies or anything cliche like giving her chocolates and flowers. Knowing Ronon, his idea of flowers would be a bouquet of kunai knives.

"Yeah, I guess" Ronon said as he really didn't understand what the word 'date' meant. He knew it was an earth custom but not the indepth knowledge of what it was or how it performed. But if Hannah wanted him to 'Date' her and it was more than sex then he would perform it.

"Wow you sound so enthusiastic" Hannah said dryly as she leaned against the railing.

"I don't know how it's done on Earth" Ronon said. Hannah made a derisive noise and laughed more at the ludicrousy of their situation.

"And I'm supposed to an expert? Anyway how does a Satedan woo someone he's interested in?" Hannah asked him.

"It's different" he told her.

"Tell me" she insisted, she couldn't believe it when Ronon's cheeks tinged slightly pink as he spoke. He was embarrassed and something about it was incredibly endearing as well as amusing.

"If we were on Sateda, I'd have to address you in a certain way, and then speak with your father, and then call at your house, and then have the honour of escorting you to a planned activity or event outside the home that you would enjoy" Ronon said, he wasn't going to tell her that this was how teenagers courted one another. It was how he had courted Mileena but that didn't necessarily cover the intricacies of Satedan courtship and romance.

"Sounds rather staid for a race of soldiers" Hannah commented.

"We're not all soldiers" Ronon told her. He wondered why everyone on Atlantis just assumed that.

"But you were brought up to be a soldier" Hannah said. He shook his head.

"I choose to be a soldier. I knew many people who were not, who despised violence and just wanted to live in peace" Ronon said feeling defensive but then he only had himself to blame as he never spoke about his people and the only Satedans they had encountered were soldiers. Hannah saw the flash of pain in his expression and reached out a hand and laid it on top of his.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" She started but he cut her off. He hated the sympathy that rolled off the people in Atlantis like he were a lost soul to be pitied, something that had only gotten worse since the betrayal of his friends.

"It's ok, it's not like you know better" he told her a little to sharply as Hannah retracted her hand from his.

"So, you do you want to do?" She asked turning her back to the view and looking into the mess instead hoping for a distraction.

"I don't know tell me how this works for you" Ronon said hoping she could give him guidance but by the incredulous look she gave him she was just as clueless as he was.

"I don't know. I've only had one serious relationship and that was on Earth. It's not the same here" She said as she looked down at her feet. She felt unsure of herself as she couldn't imagine what her future was going to be like. She stopped trying to picture it as it seemed so bleak and uninspiring.

"We could meet halfway" Ronon said, Hannah made a face but didn't look at him. He wished they were somewhere more private as he wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her or at least have her look at him so he could try and decipher what was going on in her head.

"Oh so you're going to ask my father permission to court me?" She asked, there was a mocking lilt to her tone.

"I think we're a little beyond that" Ronon said, Hannah couldn't help but smile, if their life were a bodice ripper novel O'Neill would either call Ronon out for a duel or demand that Ronon marry her.

"Yeah well I think we moved a little too fast for me" Hannah admitted quietly.

"We were drunk and you took the initiative" he told her. Hannah looked to him and he couldn't help the smug smile as he remember her making the first move. Something that very rarely happened in his life.

"Don't look so smug" She told him.

"I believe Sheppard would say you tossed yourself at me" Ronon said smugly, Hannah glowered at him.

"Threw myself and I was drunk-" she started wanting to correct him of his delusions and clear that smug look off his face but the man cut her off before she could finish.

"And I was the nearest warm body with requisite parts" He offered wryly, his smug expression growing bigger by the second.

"You're baiting me" She told him, looking at him through narrowed eyes.

"And so were you earlier today with Branton" He countered, she opened her mouth to argue but was at a loss of what to say. She was definitely not baiting him but if she said that he would be even more smug so instead she gave a tilt of her hear and looked at him unimpressed.

"That's how you see it but he's my friend and anyway you have no claim over me" She told him, before she could blink Ronon moved in front of her and placed his hands on the railing caging her in. Her heart hammered and she felt a little lightheaded as she hadn't expected the manoeuvre.

"I do, you're mine" he told her in a low voice as he crowded her.

"So we've gone from you wanting to 'court' me to you marking your territory" she said dryly trying vainly to not let him know how affected she was by his close proximity. It seemed like a waste of time as she was sure he knew exactly what he was doing to her but it was a matter of pride.

"The two are mutually exclusive" he assured, she rolled her eyes at him as it was such a typical caveman opinion.

"Only in your opinion" Hannah scoffed. Ronon lifted a hand and cupped her chin. He held it gently in place so she couldn't look down or away from him. As he realised one of them would have to take the initiative. Sheppard had advised him to just tell Hannah what he wanted and let her decide but if this conversation proved anything, it was that Hannah had no clue how to get what she wanted when it came to relationships. He could admit he was no expert himself but that would mean giving up the upperhand and that would mean losing Hannah. Something that was not going to happen.

"Which is the only one that counts as you admitted you have little experience with relationships. Now promise me, that you'll stop pushing me away and allow us the chance to be together. Honour the promise you gave me before you left the first time" he said to her.

* * *

><p>TBC-<p> 


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

"Hannah, can I ask you something personal?" Vala asked. Hannah who had been pretending to be asleep in the vain hope Vala would go away, gave up and opened her eyes. The woman's lack of propriety and boundaries was starting to get on Hannah's nerves as it was 4 am in the morning. Vala usually didn't come into her quarters until 9am on most days.

"Sure" Hannah said with a sigh as she had wanted to sleep in, she was answering too many personal questions of late. Hell, she had barely gotten three hours of solid sleep thanks to Ronon's proposition. What kept her up at night was wondering what was going to happen between them. She knew it was a wait and see situation but that didn't stop her nerves from feeling a little fried.

"You and Daniel-" Vala started.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to get around to bringing Daniel up in the conversation. Is this why you came to Atlantis" Hannah asked as this felt like this was going to be a bad day. She sat up in bed, clutching the blanket to her chest with one hand while the other ran through her hair pushing it away from her face. Hannah knew Vala considered herself in love with Daniel Jackson after their little tête-à-tête on the Prometheus.

"Not entirely" Vala said a little too innocently for Hannah's taste.

"Did he ask you to come here and needle me?" Hannah asked her. She had been suspicious of Vala's appearance and now it felt like Vala was here as Daniel's emissary, something she didn't have any time for nor want to give time to.

"No, not at all" Vala said defensively. _Yeah right_…Hannah thought grimly as the brunette had answered the question far too quickly.

"Then why are you here?" Hannah asked her.

"I was asked, so I came but I am worried about you and Daniel." Vala told her. Hannah flopped back on to the bed with a groan of aggravation. She did not want to talk about Daniel Jackson with Vala or anyone really. She just wanted to let it rest and move on. It wasn't like Hannah didn't have enough on her plate as it was.

"Don't be, he made his bed and now he has to sleep in it. If he can't get over what happened then that is his problem"

"If you would get over it then he could and then everything would right itself"

"Excuse me? You think I'm the one who is at fault for this? That I'm supposed to give him absolution-"

"We all have forgiven you for your part in the war"

"What was there to forgive? I helped you and everyone else. I gave my life for all of you" Hannah said indignantly. She rolled out of bed not caring about her naked state as she needed to throw on some clothes and get out away from Vala before she said something she regretted.

"It's a sacrifice we've all made and Daniel several times-"

"Oh, so because he's died few more times than the rest of us. I should just forget what passed between us, forget what he did to me and say 'It's cool' and then be friends with him?" Hannah asked mockingly as she pulled on her bra and knickers.

"No, I think you need to talk and come to understanding" Vala said in a casual manner.

"There's no need. I understand exactly what happened. You forget who you are talking to. The only reason Daniel is swimming in guilt and regret is that he understands what he did and I bet he was banking on me staying upstairs with the rest of the ancients so his dirty little secrets wouldn't come out" Hannah said as she tugged on a tank top followed by a long sleeve top. She roughly tugged the sleeves down and pulled her thumbs into the holes in thumbholes of the sleeves.

"We all do terrible things because we think they are the right course of action." Vala argued but Hannah stopped in her tracks.

"And you can defend him until your dying breath but it won't change a thing. Now drop it" Hannah stated. She felt like she never asked a lot of her friends but that it understood she didn't want to talk about Daniel or rehash the past. She didn't want to argue it or be forced to accept their view of what happened. As far as she was concerned they had no idea what happened and it was fine if they wanted to be friends with her and Daniel but as far as she was concerned she never wanted to be in the same room with man unless it was his funeral. Even then she would only go to make sure he stayed dead instead of pulling one of his tricks again.

"Daniel -"

"No, I don't want to hear this" Hannah said as she continued to get ready for a run. She pulled her hair back into a low bun and went in search of her socks and sneakers.

"Hannah" Vala implored following her into the other room.

"No" Hannah said waving a dismissive hand. "I never asked anyone to choose sides between Daniel and I. But I will if it means I get a small measure of peace. I don't want to talk about him or have you provide his side of the story as if it would help me see the light." Hannah said mockingly as she found her shoes and socks and moved to the lounge.

"But-"

"What part of I don't want to discuss this anymore. Do you not understand?" Hannah asked her.

"Hannah, I just miss our team and don't like this rift between you and Daniel. It's affecting us all" Vala told her.

"And it's my fault right?" Hannah asked her incredulously.

"No" Vala said but her tone said otherwise.

"You're not very convincing" Hannah said as she viciously tied her shoelaces.

"Ok, yes it is your fault. Daniel wants to reconcile with you and what you said he did has put a strain on his relationship with General O'Neill and Sam. You could at least try to forgive him and let him make amends." Vala told her.

"Oh and what does Teal'c think?" Hannah asked, she figured she might as well know what everyone else was feeling.

"He doesn't know but we both know how he would feel" Vala said.

"Yeah, he'd tell me that I'm well within my rights to not forgive Daniel. That even if he didn't agree with me that he'd respect that I am entitled to dealing with my life how I see fit. He would let me make my own decisions instead of making them for me. He wouldn't tell me what to do or defend Daniel and his actions. It's my choice and if it's a huge mistake that I never forgive him then that's on me. I never asked anyone to take sides, to take actions against Daniel. All I asked was that he leave me alone which is a kindness on my part" Hannah said, of course the reality was that she had been prepared to kill Daniel when she saw him and was stopped by Ronon and Sheppard.

So sure her 'kindness' was not her first choice but she was fine with leaving it alone. What she didn't like was people having alterative motives like right now; Vala trying to mend bridges between Hannah and Daniel. She knew it just good intentions but all she had done was reopen wounds that Hannah was trying to keep buried. Hannah was done with Earth, the painful memories blackened out the good ones every time she thought about it. She just wanted a fresh start, to heal in her own way without people telling her what to do, telling her to reconcile with Daniel just because his guilt was eating him up.

"A kindness that is hurting him and isn't helping you" Vala said.

"Nothing and no one can help me" Hannah said in a low voice, but she knew it was a lie as she thought of the Athosians, Sheppard, Cadman and Ronon. They allowed her to go through the motions of resettling into her skin again. She rose to her feet and tested her shoes for a moment to make sure she hadn't tied them too tight. She was going to go for long run, and she had no plans to stop until she was tired.

"That isn't true and you know, I think if it'd be would be easier forgive him if you forgave yourself first" Vala argued.

"What?" Hannah said in disbelief.

"Look, I've heard all the stories but if you want my honesty. I think you're just a kid who got messed up and played into situation you weren't able to handle"

"I'm not a kid" Hannah said darkly.

"You are. We joke that you're barely 10 years old but in all honesty you are that young. You just popped into existence at 17 years old." Vala said with hand gestures as if mocking her or so it seemed to Hannah.

"I didn't pop-" Hannah started but Vala cut her off. Vala gave a tilt of her head and made a face as if she agreed that saying Hannah 'popped' into existance wasn't the best choice of words.

"Ok, fine you didn't pop but you woke up and bam you're 17 with four different people's memories crammed into your head. You think those memories gave you some kind of edge and maturity but really it doesn't. You didn't have a childhood, you didn't see or learn how to be adult like a normal person" Vala told her, Hannah narrowed her eyes at Vala.

"Coming from you-"

"I know hypocritical coming from me but my point is that memories of someone else's life is not the same as experiencing it firsthand. How many of the decisions did you make based on the memories of someone else's life? Based on expectations the Asgard and the Ancients put on you?" Vala asked, Hannah's mouth thinned into a firm line as she didn't appreciate where Vala was heading with her speech. Vala of course meant the questions to be rhetorical as she continued on.

"I think you hate yourself more than you do Daniel because just like him you couldn't walk away from the fight, you had to turn into a monster and keep fighting because if you didn't then you wouldn't be a hero. You hate him because unlike you he isn't afraid to ask for forgiveness. To find atonement for what he did because unlike you he cares about the bigger picture and he doesn't run away like a petulant teenager" Vala told her.

"Are you finished dressing me down?" Hannah asked, hurt at how Vala's words struck bone and how Vala had reduced her whole entire life into a few sentences that made Hannah suddenly feel like juvenile creature who had no mind of her own.

"I wasn-"

"Are you finished?" Hannah asked in a firm and loud tone as she had to speak over Vala.

"Hannah" Vala said, her tone filled with pity and disappointment.

"I assume you got your say and are satisfied. Now I'm going to go for a run. I'd appreciate it if you weren't here when I got back" Hannah told her.

* * *

><p>An hour later,<p>

"So you and Ronon" Sheppard said as he and Hannah were cooling down from their run. He had joined her halfway through her own run, she had to slow her pace down as Sheppard had grouched too much about her running too fast. She could have run off but honestly she wanted company and he was good spirits which was contagious. She knew because she was in a much better mood now than she was when she started her run.

"There isn't anything to talk about" Hannah lied, as she shook out her limbs. They were at the edge of one of the north facing piers of Atlantis where Hannah had left a bottle water. It was her marker to remind her of where she started from that morning.

"There is, you can deny it but I know that there is and I'm cool with-" he started but she cut him off.

"No really, there's nothing we're just friends" Hannah half lied. The last thing she wanted was Sheppard to give her relationship advice and if she were honest, she didn't want to talk to him about considering he was friends with Ronon.

"Can you let me finish?" he asked her. Hannah looked to him as she caught her breath and gave a nod which he took to mean he could talk. So he did.

"So you know I feel brotherly affection for you" he started.

"Uhuh" Hannah said carefully as she picked up a bottle of water off the ground and uncapped it to take a drink.

"So what I'm saying is coming from a good place." He added.

"Ok" Hannah said carefully yet again as she wasn't sure why he was being so precious with her. She took a drink of water.

"Wow, this is awkward but he's from a different planet and I'm not sure how they…" Sheppard's voice trailed off as he was really trying to avoid the conversation but couldn't "Make love" he said cringing at the word.

Hannah sprayed the water she had been drinking and looked at him in shock. "Pardon me?" she choked out as sex was the last thing she expected him to be trying to talk to her about. Let alone say 'make love'.

"I said-" he started but he stopped as Hannah coughed and waved a hand at him to stop.

"No I heard that, but I'm wondering what you're telling me this?" She asked in a croaky voice.

"Just be careful, you know" he said pointedly hoping she would get the hint but she looked at him blankly.

"I have no idea what you're getting at" She said as she wondered if he was trying to warn her about Ronon.

"Use prote-" he started but she cut him off, her cheeks went bright red.

"Oh, wow. Why are you talking to me about this?" Hannah asked embarrassed for the both of them.

"Because I don't want you and him to make any little unwanted surprises. Unless you want surprises and then by all means have a gaggle of them" He said with a shrug.

"Oh my god" Hannah said mortified, as she could see Sheppard was happy with either event but then he was one of those guys who acted indifferent about children but secretly wanted them. Or maybe he was just amused at how his version of sex education was mortifying her.

"Hey, you think you're uncomfortable imagine how I feel?" he asked her.

"Did you have this little talk with Ronon?" Hannah asked incredulously.

"Not yet" He said.

"So I'm your dry run?" she asked him feeling flustered that he felt it necessary to talk to her about sex at all.

"No, I thought I'd have a private word with you both and you're here and I figured I wouldn't have to explain how to use-" he smiled as Hannah cut him off with the waving of her hands.

"Stop right there. I get what you're saying. So can we not talk about sex?" Hannah asked as she really didn't want to talk about sex and prophylactics with Sheppard. It was nearly as bad as the time General O'Neill had given her the 'talk' or tried to.

"Yes" Sheppard said in an amused yet slightly embarrassed manner.

"Thank you" Hannah said feeling relieved that he would drop the conversation.

"So what are you going to be doing for the rest of the week?" Sheppard asked her changing the topic.

"Relaxing, possibly go crazy from inactivity" Hannah told him in a satirical manner.

"You could train the new recruits" Sheppard suggested.

"No" Hannah said, she was not going to put up with petulance of grown men who'd pussyfoot around her because she was a woman and she didn't feel like going through the trials of proving herself.

"Ok, fine but just remember the offer is there" Sheppard said.

"I'll keep that in mind, now I'm going to go back to my quarters to shower. Meet you in half an hour at the mess for breakfast?" Hannah asked.

"Can't, I got a debriefing with a couple teams. Meet for lunch?" Sheppard counteroffered.

"Sure" Hannah said.

* * *

><p>Hannah went back to her quarters and found the place empty. She should have appreciated it but it left her feeling slightly hollowed out as she had pushed away yet another person she considered a friend. It made her feel horrible and shallow for wanting everything to stay superficial and light with Vala. To want to forget her past but she needed to break free of it.<p>

She gave a sigh and shook her head as if to shake her weary thoughts away and moved the bathroom. She took a long soak in the tub, did her best not to think about anything. She did alright but then it helped that she dozed off for a good portion of the bath, when she woke up the water was cold and her skin had started to prune up. So she quickly dried herself off and tossed on some clothes before heading to the mess hall. The place was near empty as the breakfast rush had finished. She picked up a tray but stopped as she noticed Fisk and Wallace at table on the far side of the room talking to one another.

An idea sparked in her head as she picked up a bottle of water and an apple. She walked over to their table and placed the bottle of water on the table hard and dragged up a chair to the head of the table turning the back of the chair to the table she straddled the chair.

"Hey boys" she said, a predatory smile played across her face as she was definitely going to have fun. She pulled a knife from her boot and started to peel the apple.

"Do you want something?" Wallace asked her, not happy to see her.

"Actually I do" Hannah told him.

"And what is that?" Wallace asked.

"I want to give you some friendly advice from one enemy to another" she said, she continued to peel the apple skin in one long piece as she spoke. "You and your little Lucian Alliance buddies should transfer out of Atlantis in the next seven days-" She started to say but Fisk cut her off.

"We're not Lucian-" He started to but stopped as Hannah gave him an indulgent smile that said she didn't believe a word coming out of his mouth.

"Don't bother, you pretty much admitted it to me and you know that I have no proof except my word which let's face it ain't worth shit" Hannah said as she finished peeling the apple. She let the skin fall to the table in one long strip.

"Finally accepting your value?" Wallace asked, Hannah smiled at him and stabbed her knife into the apple.

"My value to you humans? Yeah I have" Hannah said she leaned forward as if she was telling them a secret "and I have to admit it's quite liberating not to have to live up to your standards. But let's not get into that right now. I'm here to talk about you two and your precarious situation" she told them, her eyes lit up when she said 'precarious' as she was relishing the powerplay between them. If she were honest, she needed to feel the power of putting fear into the men and after Vala's words she needed the boost of confidence.

"Please enlighten us" Wallace scoffed as he was firmly in the belief that he was invincible. He sat back in his chair and folded his arms looking smug.

"You two are working or in allegiance with unsavoury people and I don't know what you're doing here for them. But then I don't care and I don't want to know. I don't even care what you do on Earth or in the Milky Way Galaxy, I just want you and whatever you're upto out of my city" she told them in a frank manner. She pulled her knife out of the apple and started to cut a sliver of the flesh to eat.

"Your city?" Fisk asked incredulously. He and Wallace exchanged looks as if they couldn't believe her nerve.

"That's right, I've appointed myself the Sheriff of Atlantis. Call it an unofficial title and the brilliant part about no longer having affiliation with Earth, IOA, the military is that I don't have to answer to them. It's why I'm allowing you a 30 day period of grace to pack up shop and leave Atlantis alive and in one piece which I think is very generous of me" Hannah said, Wallace and Fisk laughed as if she had just told them a joke. She ate the piece of apple and swallowed it.

"Yeah right and what will you do if we don't leave?" Wallace asked her.

"Then it gets ugly and all those stories about what happened to your 'friends' will look like child's play in comparison to what I will do to you two and boy will I enjoy it" She said a smile of pleasure crossing her lips, she watched his smile drop. She cut a slice of apple and ate it watching them. Allowing her words to sink in. She didn't know why but she felt powerful in that moment as even her words rang true within her.

Why was she having this realisation now? She was her own agent, she could decide what she wanted and where to go. The only thing holding her back was the approval of others and she knew from experience it was easy to earn but difficult to maintain. Maybe Vala was right, Hannah was a petulant teenager but only when she confined herself to the moral and ethic strictures of being 'human'.

"You're bluffing" Fisk said to her. Hannah swallowed the apple slice she was eating, her confidence strong as she knew Fisk was the weaker link.

"You wish I was but I'm deadly seriously. Like I said I have come to terms with my lack of humanity and what it means. I'm not one of you which means I don't have to act by your standards of morals and ethics" Hannah said with a shrug before she continued.

"Which is a relief; considering the guilt I would be drowning in it over what I did as an ORI soldier. Then there would be the shame because just between us three, I miss those days. I got to be the 'real' me not the bullshit persona I have to put on to fit in around here" she said the men didn't speak and she didn't blame them. She sounded like a psycho. "The power I held over those ORI soldiers, how they reeked with fear when I graced them with my presence. It was like finally finding my place in the universe. All I had to do was single out the weak" Hannah carved into her apple as she continued talking "And I was an expert but then who doesn't enjoy a good hunt." She looked at them as if they knew exactly what she was talking about. A part of her felt sick to her stomach for making something so heinous sound as enjoyable as a eating a decadent meal but she needed them to be scared of her.

"I loved testing a person's endurance to pain, their will, the taste of their blood, the fear in their eyes. The unnatural sounds a person can make while in excruciating pain is just breathtaking" Hannah said, she looked away as if recalling the memories, a feral smile spread across her lips "It was better than sex. The intimate hours of learning about one another, the only sad part is that they all died. But that's the way it is." she said with a casual shrug, she looked back at Fisk and then Wallace. The men had paled and she knew her playact was working on them. She wanted them to be scared, to think twice about their life choices. She carved off a slice of apple and ate it as she watched the men digest her words. They didn't say anything as she finished the bite. She took a sip of her water before she spoke again.

"So, your options are pretty straightforward. Leave in thirty days unharmed or stay and we'll find out how long you can last before I send your body parts back to Earth" she said in a calm matter factorial manner. The men looked a little shaken and she felt pleasure at their current state.

"You can't just make us disappear. People will notice" Wallace told her.

"Please, accidents that result in death happen all the time on this base. I also know you two aren't the only ones on this base. So don't think I'll just stop with you two. I'll keep going until your Lucian buddies clue in that it's only their spies who are dying." Hannah said with a shrug like it was not going to be a problem at all.

"You'd start a war" Wallace told her. Hannah gave a patronizing look.

"When am I not at war. I guess the only difference now is that I have no issues in doing whatever is necessary to win and I will win. So, now it's up to you two on whether you want to leave here alive or in pieces. Either way Lucian Alliance will get the message." She told them, she stabbed her apple with her knife and stood up from her chair. She smiled down at the boys and picked up her bottle of water.

"O'Neill" A male voice said behind Hannah. She turned her head and looked to the soldier who walked up to her with a nurse from the infirmary.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Colonel Carter has requested your presence in the infirmary" He told her. She frowned but decided it was best not to argue or ask questions until she saw Sam.

"Ok" She said, resheathed her knife and then rose her from her chair. She turned and looked back at Fisk and Wallace. She gave them a wink before she followed the nurse and soldier. Apple in hand.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, Hannah was shepherded into Keller's office: where Sheppard, Dr Keller, Sam and Dr Heightmeyer were talking. Hannah took the last bite of her apple and looked to the door to see two guards stand at the door with wraith stunners in hand at the ready. She swallowed her bite of the apple and turned back to the other occupants who all stood in the room with their arms folded.<p>

"What's going on?" Hannah asked them.

"Have you been feeling alright?" Sam asked her.

"Yes" Hannah answered.

"Nothing unusual happen to you of late?" Sheppard asked her, Hannah looked at him oddly as she was wondering what all the fuss was about.

"Ah, no. So you guys want to tell me why I'm here?" Hannah asked them hoping to cut to the chase.

"Major Lorne had a episode of somnambulism this morning" Doctor Heightmeyer told her, it only raised more questions in Hannah's mind.

"Ok and this relates to me how?" Hannah asked them, truly confused. Upon seeing her confusion, Dr Keller went into a lengthy explaination of how Sheppard had gone off world and touch a crystal that gave off what they thought to be a random electrical current. Sheppard had checked out and everything seemed normal until people started to have a string of nightmares where Sheppard was the main evil character.

Hannah looked to Sheppard with a bemused expression as the man looked amused if somewhat tad annoyed at playing such a pivotal role in so many people's nightmares. She looked to Keller who was still talking about the situation but Hannah had lost track of what she was saying in the brief second she had been speculating about Sheppard's feelings about it.

"-We believe there might be an entity on the loose. It transfers from host to host by touch. Major Lorne said you were the last person he was in physical contact with and so we need to know who you've come into physical contact with since then" Keller finished, the four of them looked to Hannah who gave them an incredulous look.

"He was wrong. He touched me not the other round and I haven't had any nightmares where Sheppard is the 'evil' guy and even if there is an entity or energy being running around. It's not in me" Hannah assured them.

"We... well I didn't think it was" Sheppard said correcting the assumption as the women didn't look convinced that Hannah wasn't possessed but the Hannah's past history didn't lend her to be easily believed as innocent.

"Then why the guards?" Hannah asked.

"Just taking precautions" Sam assured her.

"Right" Hannah said dryly not believing Sam for a second but also not blaming her.

"Lorne tried to shoot me" Sheppard told her.

"So I've been told and we should be surprised by this?" Hannah asked sarcastically.

"Now is not the time to be cute" Sheppard said trying to look unimpressed with her but failing as she could see his lips curling up into a smile.

"So what you want to put me in Isolation so I don't get infected by this entity?" Hannah offered as it seemed to be the most logical step in regards to her. If she were taken over by an energy being there was really no telling how much damage she could reap on the city.

"I would put you in the brig" Sheppard said in a matter factorial manner.

"Sheppard" Sam said in a chastising manner as Keller and Heightmeyer looked shocked by his suggestion as it seemed rather drastic. But Hannah turned to him and nodded her head in agreement.

"Considering how much knowledge I have of this city. The brig is a more logical location to keep me" Hannah said.

"I will not have you in the brig, and you're only in isolation until this is resolved." Sam told her.

"It may not be a big deal to you but I would prefer to be quarantined to my quarters than in Isolation considering I'm not ill or displayed symptoms of being possessed. If I was, then we would be having a very different argument" Hannah told them.

"Hannah-"

"Is Ronon in quarantine?" Hannah asked Sam cutting her off as she didn't have the patience for bullshit.

"No" Sheppard said which earned him a dark look from Sam who wondered who's side he was on.

"Then why am I being singled out?" Hannah asked.

"You're not being singled out" Sam told her but it didn't fly with Hannah.

"Yeah, right. Don't patronise me. You want me on lockdown either put me in the brig or in my quarters. I am not going into an isolation room based on one random theory of a entity possessing people and making them crazy" Hannah told them.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

A couple of hours later,

"Do we really have to put on these suits?" Ronon asked as he held the HAZMAT suit in his hand like it were an offensive object. They had all come out a briefing where it was decided the team had to go back to the planet to pick up the crystal Sheppard touched. Ronon honestly didn't get what the big deal was with a few nightmares and why Heightmeyer and Colonel Carter were acting like these nightmares was a flesh and blood person running around terrorizing the city.

He wasn't one to complain but he didn't understand why they had to put on HAZMAT suits for the mission to retrieve the crystals when they had gone to the planet without them on the first time round.

"Yes, we do" Sheppard told him, Ronon frowned as he hated the HAZMAT suits. They weren't made for a man of his size or combat. He looked around at the others as they were suiting up.

"We already went to Planet before. Didn't need them then" Ronon argued, hoping that maybe there would be someway out of wearing the suit on this particular mission. Sheppard gave him a sympathetic look.

"Look I know you don't like putting on the rubber suit-" Sheppard stopped when Ronon shot him a dark look of 'Ya think?' and gave a sigh. "Fine you don't want to go off world then don't." Sheppard said with a smile as he took the suit from the Satedan, "You can stay but could you do me a favour and check on Hannah?" he asked.

"Why?" Ronon asked frowning as he felt like he was being tricked into something.

"Because she's been quarantined to her quarters" Sheppard told him.

"Why?" he asked.

"For safety reasons. Look with everything going on, I'm sure she's going to be forgotten. Just take her some food and water unless you want to put on the suit and join us?" Sheppard said in a slightly mocking manner. Ronon shoved the suit at him and left room deciding Hannah was most definitely the lesser of two evils.

* * *

><p>Hannah sat on the lounge in the living area of her quarters. Her head was in her hands and she groaned at her own idiocy. It was becoming a bad habit of hers of late.<p>

It had been a couple of hours since she had been locked up in her quarters. In those hours she had nothing but her thoughts bugging her. So to vainly try and block them out she cleaned and scrubbed the entire apartment. Re-organized her room and set up a bag of clothes that needed to be washed and realised that all her BDU's were dirty and the ones she had been wearing earlier - well they were filthy by the time she finished cleaning. So after her shower, she had changed into the clothes the Athosians had given her. She could have borrowed Laura's BDU's but she didn't see the point and she liked the idea of not wearing the grey BDU's that the rest of the expedition wore.

She had forgotten how comfortable her Athosian clothing was, she wore a loose forest green tank dress that ended mid thigh over skin tight dark cream cotton pants. She didn't bother with the shoes as she wasn't going anywhere. She of course considered crawling through the airducts and flagrantly disregard the quarantine but decided against it. There was enough drama going on in Atlantis that she really didn't need or want to add to it. She should feel grateful she wasn't in an Isolation room but right now bored and starting to get hungry she was started to not feel so happy about the arrangement as it was constricting her life and there was no indication of how long she would be in her quarters for.

But even with all the activity she had come to realise the stupid mistake she had made with Fisk and Wallace and berate herself. What she had done was a mistake. A big one as she hadn't thought through the ramifications of her actions. Talking to them the way she had, so cocky and sure of herself. She wasn't invincible and Fisk and Wallace were definitely going to try and come at her. They would digest her little talk and then remind themselves they outnumbered and were much stronger. She could guarantee they weren't going to back off and thus her little talk was like painting a bull's eye on her back. She should have handled it differently but it was too late now.

She lifted her head from hands got to her feet and started pacing. She needed to start making plans for the future. The first thing she need to do get full access to Atlantis' operating systems that way she could better observe Fisk and Wallace. They had to meeting outside of more frequented areas of Atlantis. She needed to start tracking their movements to know when was the best time strike back at them. It also meant now she would have be stay more visible in Atlantis.

The door to her quarters opened, Hannah turned to see Ronon stroll into the room with a cotton sack in hand. He stepped in and the door closed behind him. He froze for a moment, stunned by her appearance as she looked so different in Athosian clothing and her hair loose aound her shoulders. He would have said she looked relaxed but instead she looked stressed, which he guessed was a given considering she was locked up for no good reason he could see.

"How did you...?" she asked him gesturing to how he got into her room.

"Sheppard" Ronon told her, as if that answered everything including how Ronon overrided the lock on her door as she was sure it wasn't in his wheel house. Hannah gave a nod not bothering ask as she was grateful for the distraction from her boredom.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him.

"I brought food" he said, lifting the cloth sack.

"You do know I am under quarantine right?" Hannah asked him. He stared at her for a moment and she knew the correct response for when someone brought you food was 'thank you' but she couldn't help but wonder why he was here out everyone on the base.

"We both know you're not infected. That thing going around giving people nightmares... I think it passed from me to you straight to Lorne. So really you're in the clear" Ronon told her.

"Excuse me?" She asked blankly as he just told her something she hadn't ever thought about. She watched as he pulled an apple from the knapsack and a knife from seemingly nowhere and began to cut into the flesh of the apple.

"You didn't have nightmares about Sheppard right?" He asked her, cutting out a slice of apple.

"No, just the usual which Sheppard is not a star in" Hannah informed him.

"McKay was saying stuff about this thing being energy from the crystal Sheppard touched and that it's being passed on to others by touch. If thats the case then whatever it was didn't like you as it jump out of you into Lorne" Ronon said, he ate a slice of apple while Hannah looked gobsmacked that he come to such a logical conclusion. "What?" he asked her.

"Just you make a compelling point" Hannah told him.

"I may not get a lot of what's being said around here but I'm not an idiot" Ronon said a little defensively. Hannah gave a small smile as he looked embarrassed something that she hadn't seen before.

"Never thought you were" She told him, which was truth, he ducked his head and nodded as he cut out a slice of apple.

"Apple?" he said offering the slice on the blade of his knife.

"Sure" she said taking the slice from the blade. She held it in her fingers. "But it doesn't mean that you're immune to the entity" she told him before she ate the slice.

"I don't really believe there is an entity going round. More like everybody just having bad dreams-"

"Where they all have Sheppard as the bad guy. Hell of a coincidence" Hannah said, Ronon gave a shrug as he sliced out another quarter of the apple, watching her in that unnerving way he did.

"Not everything can be explained and sometimes it's better not to overthink it" he told her before eating the slice of apple.

"So you're here" She said, not able to argue his last comment.

"Where else would I be?" He asked her, he said it like his place was beside her.

"Out there, I don't know helping the others figure it out" Hannah told him in a matter of factorial manner feeling a little flustered by him.

"Fighting ghosts or whatever they think this is... isn't my thing and Sheppard said you'd get hungry" he told her.

"Of course, he's always looking out for me" Hannah said musing how Sheppard was like a big brother to her.

"We all are" he told her.

"I appreciate it and I appreciate you being here" Hannah told him sincerely.

"Anytime you need me, I'll be here" he told her. Hannah turned to him and for a moment wondered if she should tell him about Fisk and Wallace. Would he believe her or rat her out. She knew if Sheppard found out what she did he would flip his lid but she needed help.

"You mean that don't you?" She asked.

"I do. Why?" he asked his disposition grew serious, suddenly he wondered if she was stressed from what was going on in the city or if it was something else.

"I think I did something stupid" Hannah admitted, the words slipping from her mouth on their own volition. "It seems to be a bad habit of mine actually" she said.

"What did you do?" Ronon asked.

"I need your word that you won't tell a soul about what I'm about to tell you not even Sheppard" she said to him. Ronon looked at Hannah inwardly amazed she would ask such a thing of him but also concerned about whatever she was about to confess.

"You have my word" he told her.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later,<p>

Hannah had told Ronon about Fisk and Wallace. Two men Ronon never really took notice of as they tended to give him a wide berth but he had noticed their animosity with Hannah. She explained how they had confronted her about her time as an ORI soldier, how she realised they had to be Lucian Alliance. She briefly explained who the Lucian Alliance were. She never tried to excuse her actions when she was a soldier for the ORI but he could see her guilt and disgust at herself for that time of her life. She paced as she told him all of it, he knew it was to avoid eye contact. She didn't want to know what he was thinking.

He didn't blame her, he wished he could sympathise with her situation but he felt conflicted as it sounded like she had acted like his Satedan comrades Rakai, Tyre and Ara who had become Wraith Worshippers with the exception that she never became disillusioned that what she was doing was right. He felt his respect for her grow even though he didn't like what he was hearing. But then she never asked to be forgiven or even tried to make him see her side. She just told the facts as she saw them.

She then followed on and told him how she tried to prove Fisk and Wallace were Lucian Alliance but couldn't find anything. She told him how it annoyed her to know in her bones they weren't innocent and how she decided to take matters into her own hands. How she stupidly confronted them and told them, she knew who they were and that she wanted the Lucian Alliance to know Atlantis was off limits.

"It seemed like such a good idea and I know I scared them on some level but now I realise how stupid I was. I've painted a bull's eye on my back. I'm in over my head" she said, she stopped pacing and turned to him.

"And you told me this because?" Ronon asked her, not sure as to what she was expecting from him.

"I trust you, because I need you" Hannah told him, she looked incredibly vulnerable and at a loss as to what to do. She had ideas of what to do but it wasn't like Ronon was able to help her with them.

"You want me to kill them?" he asked her.

"No" she told him, she was slightly shocked he would ask that but also knew if she asked he would do it.

"Then what do you need from me?" he asked her. She threw her hands up in the air and gave an exasperated sigh.

"I don't know, but I do know that even if I hadn't been stupid they would eventually come at me again. Wallace wants me dead, so I highly doubt he's going to give up that mission" Hannah told him.

Ronon wasn't sure what to say to her, she had just opened up to him, put her trust in him. She needed him, something she hadn't ever openly admitted to before. It made him feel like they had made some progress and secretly pleased she would open up to him even if it wasn't something he wanted to hear.

"You wanted more of me, well there's a lot more about me that you don't know and that you're not going to like and I-" she stopped mid sentence as she didn't what to say. Actually she did know what she wanted to say but it was all a jumble in her head. Hot tears stung her eyes and she covered her mouth with her hand turning away from him as she didn't have the courage to see his reaction and she didn't want him to think she was manipulating him. She didn't hear him move but she felt his presence at her back, the heat of his body as he stood close behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders. His calloused hands created friction against her skin as they slowly moved and up and down her upper arms.

"I know" he told her, Hannah felt her body slightly sag in relief at his words. As they emcompassed so many meanings for her, but the message was loud and clear that he understood and accepted her. "You really have to stop turning your back to me" he told her, he moved his right hand slowly up her arm and to her neck, she leaned her head back and looked at him.

She then turned to face him and he still found it amazing how she could embody such innocence and vulnerability after everything she had seen and done. How she made him feel like he was the only one who could banish her demons and make her strong. The power she gave to him made him feel heady with desire to be everything she wanted and needed. He just wished she could vocalise exactly what she needed from him so he could be that for her.

"I need to think on what you told me" he told her. Hannah looked despondant. "I will be back, I promise" he assured her. Hannah nodded but he could see she didn't believe him but then he couldn't blame her given her past history but it didn't stop it from hurting him as he wished she would show some faith in his words.

He cupped her face and looked at her one last time before let go and walked out of the room. He needed space to process what she had told him as right now he knew anything he said in that moment would be a reflection of the pain he felt when his comrades betrayed him which was wrong as it was two entirely separate situations. Right now he needed to tread carefully with Hannah more so now than ever.

* * *

><p>Hours passed by and Hannah spent most of it mentally kicking herself for telling Ronon just a glimpse of her past history. It wasn't pretty and she knew he didn't like it hearing it, she could tell by how wooden he had become. So she sure knew if or when he heard the rest he would Sure he promised to come back but as the hours passed so did Hannah's hope that it would he be back tonight. She wondered if she had hit one of his deal breakers, he couldn't be in a relationship with a woman like her. He was probably better off with someone a little less complicate, someone who had less baggage.<p>

She was halfway through listing all of her bad qualities and how Ronon could do a hell of a lot better than her when the door to her quarters opened. She jumped to her feet and found herself disappointed when Sheppard and McKay came into the room instead of Ronon. The one she wanted to see.

"I don't see why I had to be dragged all the way over here" McKay said he and Sheppard walked into her quarters.

"Because the Colonel wants you to scan Hannah. I thought it was pretty straight forward" Sheppard told him.

"I don't see why Radek couldn't come down here and do it for you, since he scanned Lorne" McKay said.

"McKay, just enjoy the exercise" Sheppard said.

"Are you suggesting I'm fat?" McKay asked in an undignified manner.

"I'm suggesting you could increase your stamina-" Sheppard started.

"My stamina is above average". McKay told him as he and Sheppard came into the room. Sheppard looked around half expecting to see Ronon but the Satedan wasn't anywhere to be seen and judging by the disappointment on Hannah's face she had expected the man to come through the door not him and McKay.

"Mentally maybe but physically you could learn to run a little faster. By the way, hi and come on in." Hannah said dryly.

"Hey yourself, and here I brought you dinner" Sheppard said holding up a knapsack with some food for her.

"Thanks" Hannah said taking the knapsack from him and placing it on the coffee table but she didn't really have an appetite. "What's with the toy?" Hannah asked McKay.

"It's a scanner to detect the energy life form, we already cleared Lorne and as I told Sheppard there's no point in scanning you because the entity can travel through the power conduits of the city" McKay told her and Sheppard in an annoyed tone.

"Just scan Hannah so she can have the quarantine lifted off her. Then you can go back to whatever you want to do" Sheppard said in a frustrated tone to McKay.

"Fine" McKay snapped he looked to Hannah "Stand still" he ordered her in a patronising tone, Hannah folded her arms and looked at him. The man tapped his tablet computer and moved it into one hand and then with the other hand raised the scanner and slowly waved it over her.

"What's wrong?" Hannah asked when he frowned and waved the scanner over her for a second time. She tried to steal a glimpse of the screen but McKay kept it to himself.

"Ah I don't know but you're going to have to stay in quarantine" McKay said as he took a step back from her.

"How about you explain it to me instead of running scared" Hannah told him as he was looking a the results and then at her.

"Your scan is inconclusive" McKay told her.

"Inconclusive? What does that mean? My readings don't match Lorne's or not within a certain parameters? What?" Hannah asked in a sceptical tone.

"All of the above, though we haven't scanned Lorne yet. So you'll have to stay until I work this out" McKay told her. Easy for him to say.

"Oh that's comforting" Hannah said dryly. "So how long am I going to be here until you do figure it out?" she asked with an annoyed tone.

"I don't know but I'll talk to Sam and Keller, get you something to keep you awake" McKay told her.

"Seriously?"

"It's all I can do for now" McKay said, the man left the room and Hannah was sure he would have ran if Sheppard wasn't there. After the door closed behind McKay, Sheppard turned to Hannah.

"We'll figure this out" He assured her.

"I'm not possessed" She told him.

"Let's just play it safe" he told her, he wished in that moment that he could hug her as she looked like she needed on but knew it was better to play on the safe side.

"Ok"

"You want me to stay?" he asked.

"No, I'll be fine. Go" she told him.

"Ok but if you need anything" Sheppard told her.

"I'll call" she told him but they both knew she wouldn't call, only because she knew how busy it got when Atlantis was on alert. She wouldn't want to distract him from his work. He gave a nod and after a moment he left the room. Hannah gave a slight huff of frustration and sat down on the lounge and dropped her head into her hands.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later,<p>

"Ronon" Sheppard said in surprise as he hadn't expected the Satedan to be knocking on his door. He had expected the man to with Hannah doing whatever the two did when no one was around. Something he really didn't need to know or think about.

"Ah do you have a moment?" Ronon asked awkwardly, he had gone for a run but it hadn't really helped clear his head. He had come to the conclusion that he wanted no needed to know about Hannah's past. The real story as he knew the stories flying around were not exactly reliable.

"Sure come in" Sheppard said, stepping out of the way. Ronon walked into the room feeling incredibly awkward. "You want a beer?" Sheppard asked him.

"You know what happened with Hannah?" Ronon asked cutting straight to the point.

"What time? A lot of stuff happens to her" Sheppard said in good humour but lost it as Ronon shot him a look.

"Before she joined the ancestors" Ronon clarified. Sheppard's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"She tell you?" Sheppard asked him.

"Parts of it." Ronon said, he felt a twist of jealousy in gut as Sheppard seemed to be able to have a part of Hannah he had yet to hold. Sheppard grimaced at his response and gestured for Ronon to sit but he remained on his feet. Sheppard all of a sudden looked tired as he took one of the guest chairs in his quarters.

"It's something you should hear from her" Sheppard cautioned him.

"But you know what happened" Ronon said, he wanted to know how much his friend knew but then he had a feeling Sheppard probably knew everything as he was privvy to information Ronon wasn't. Sheppard leaned back in his chair and analysed Ronon for a moment before he spoke.

"Look, Hannah and I. We have an understanding, I accept her for all her faults and weaknesses and vice versa. I don't judge her-"

"I'm not judging her" Ronon told him, taking the other chair. He sat down and leaned foward resting his arms on hit legs clasping his hands.

"And true to form, Hannah probably didn't tell you everything because she only remembers what she did wrong not the good that came out of her actions. As questionable as they were and no offence but you tend to see things a little too black and white" Sheppard told him.

"You're talking about Rakai, Ara and Tyre" Ronon said, the betrayal of friends still burned deep in him.

"Partially, yes and I'm not saying your way of thinking is wrong. It's just that if you're serious about Hannah even as friends you need to understand she morally and ethically speaking operates is a completely grey area but she judges herself by our standards. It's irrational and personally, I don't get it but it's just the way she is" Sheppard told him.

"I've noticed" Ronon said.

"Yeah, well my point is that you either take her as is or your back off completely and you tell her exactly where she stands because I'm not going to be put in the middle of you two and don't drag it out" Sheppard told him.

* * *

><p>Hannah ran her hands through her hair, shaking it out as she looked down at the pharmaceutical range on her coffee table provided by Doctor Keller as they were under the assumption she had the energy being in her thanks to McKay and his scanner. She hadn't been allowed to see the results or argue it. They had also shut off the power to her quarters and re-scanned her believing that the 'energy being' was trapped in her. It also left her sitting literally in the dark with only the light of the outside city and the moons to light her way as they had been too busy thinking of how to get rid of the energy being than setting her up with all the necessities. It was just dumb luck the toilet didn't run on electricity and something Hannah was grateful for.<p>

Then they handed out the drugs and told her to sit tight and try to stay awake while they figured it out. She looked at the drugs and shook her head. She knew it wasn't in her and she didn't want to take drugs. She had had enough of them to last her a lifetime. Worse yet she was alone so if she had an adverse reaction there would be no one around to help her. She couldn't help but feel completely vulnerable and every tiny noise that sounded was driving her nuts not to mention the room getting cold from the lack of environmental systems. A dull thud sounded outside her quarters and Hannah flinched, her heart pounded as she wondered if Fisk and Wallace had decided to pay her visit. She was in a prime position to be attacked. Alone, cut off from the rest of the city. She felt like a horror movie victim in the making, the noises continued and she knew it wasn't her imagination.

She rose to her feet and wished she had a gun in her quarters, just that thought alone reminded her of how empty headed she had been acting but if she was caught with a gun and anyway if she had a feeling that conversation wouldn't go well. She went to her bedroom and pulled her knife from the dresser and returned to the main room. The door was slowly being pried opne but she couldn't tell by who. She slowly crept towards the door staying out of firing range in case they had a gun.

"You mind giving me a hand?" Ronon voice came through the gap and Hannah felt a wave of relief roll over her as he was the last person she expected. She gave a shaky exhale and moved to the gap.

"You scared the hell out of me" she told him as she reached into the gap and helped pull the door open. It took a lot of effort and even then the door jammed, the space between was barely wide enough for Hannah to pass through so there was no doubt that Ronon wasn't going to be able to get in. It didn't however stop him from trying.

"I told you I would come back" He told her.

"It's jammed" Hannah told him referring to the door. Ronon gave it one last go and gave up, he moved out of the door gap and rubbed his shoulder as it was sore from him trying to squeeze his way in.

"Then come out" he told her.

"I didn't expect you to come back" She said _or ever_... she silently added. She could barely make out his features in the dark. "They say I'm infected" She told him.

"You're not infected" he told her in firm tone.

"Tell that to medicine cabinent of drugs on my table" Hannah scoffed at him. She wished she had better lighting to read his features but also glad as he wouldn't be able to read hers or see the pain.

"Then they are idiots because I know you're not infected and you shouldn't be here alone" he told her.

"Ah yes I am. I have to stay in quarantine even if I'm safe. Colonel Carter will flip her lid if I left this room" she told him.

"If you were possessed worse case scenario you try to kill sheppard or you have a few bad nightmares. I can stop you from killing Sheppard and I can be here when you have the nightmares. You don't have to be alone, I can help you if you let me" he told her.

"What about earlier? you didn't seem so keen to stick around" she said, he could hear the despondancy in her tone.

"When you told me about Fisk and Wallace, how you spoke about being an ORI soldier. I'm going to admit I didn't like what I heard and I know it's just a fraction of what happened to you, what you did in that time. I also know there's probably a lot more to be said that I won't like but it's the past. What I care about is you. What you did then, I may not like a lot of it but it doesn't change how I feel about you." he told her.

"You say that now" Hannah told him in a tired tone as she was too used to people changing their minds.

"I'm here aren't I? Now let me help keep you safe and allow me to keep my sanity. Come with me to my quarters, stay with me until this is over" he told her, Hannah gave a sardonic laugh.

"And me sleeping in your bed is going to help you keep your sanity?" she asked him.

"Yeah and I need you to tell me when you're going to do something stupid so I can have your back" he told her. She could hear his smile in his voice and couldn't help smiling herself.

"Ok" Hannah said.

"Ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll come with you but for the record this is something stupid" she told him. She turned sideways and took an inhale in the vain hope of making herself skinny. Ronon took hold of her arm to help keep as she squeezed through the gap.


	32. Chapter 32

**_A/N: Lots of questionable science and medical stuff.. just let it slide if it's wrong.. or PM me and I'll fix it :-)_**

* * *

><p>Chapter 32<p>

"I can't believe how easily I was talked into this" Hannah said under her breath as she stood in Ronon's quarters. She looked out at the window, remembering when it used to be her quarters and the times she used to stare out at the view feeling like she were finally at home. The glittering lights of the city and the ocean, a sense of calm washed over her.

She still remembered the last time she had been in this room. It hadn't changed except for maybe the painting the above the bed. That hadn't been there before or had she not noticed it. There were also a few more weapons in the room she hadn't remembered being there but the room still had the same warmth, and the room had a heady yet relaxing aroma of sandalwood incense which came from the altar Ronon had in the corner of the room it had small trinkets and always a piece of fresh fruit. She remembered it was his way of honoring his ancestors. It was the only act he performed that appeared to be somewhat religious. That and his tattooes, she hadn't missed the new one on his forearm and wondered what it meant.

"You'll be more comfortable if you take off your clothes" Ronon said as he came out of the ensuite bathroom. Hannah looked his way and then quickly turned back to face the window as the man was completely naked. It wasn't like she hadn't seen him naked before but she couldn't help her nature of looking away to give him privacy.

"Maybe but I think getting naked with you is probably not a good idea tonight" Hannah said as she knew if she got naked then they would have sex and right now she was already neck deep in trouble. Though it was tempting to just jump completely in the deep end but she wouldn't as she knew it would only complicate things. She complicated things enough for the time being.

"Your choice" he told her as he got into the bed making himself comfortable. She heard the covers being drawn ove his body or assumed that was the sound and turned around to see the sheets and fur blanket covering him from the hips down. She couldn't help but get distracted by the sight of him, just seeing him in bed made her want to take off all her clothes and get back to that drunken night and relive those memories and make more to top it. Just the idea of it made her knees weak and her mouth dry. She licked her lips and pulled her mind out of the R rated fantasy playing in her mind involving her tongue on his body. Her cheeks grew warm.

"Ah I'm- If you don't mind I'm going to take a quick shower" Hannah said a little flustered. Ronon smiled and nodded as he was enjoying how tongue tied she became over him just being naked. He knew why she was being a prude, it wasn't about him. It that she was trying to maintain some control of herself as she wasn't able in other parts of her life. Right now she needed comfort and stability, she was protecting herself from being hurt or at least trying the minimise the damage. But he knew once she realised, truly realised he was here to stay then she would begin to relax and her current prudishness would wash away.

"There's extra towels in there, and extra tooth brush is yours. I left a shirt in there you can wear if you want" he informed her.

"Thanks" she replied as she went to the bathroom.

She closed the door and didn't bother to look in the mirror as she stripped off her clothing before jumping into the shower. Hannah purposefully took her time in the shower and by the time she dried off and brushed her teeth she could only hope Ronon was asleep. She turned to her clothes and decided to just wear whatever Ronon had given her as she was past giving up the small luxuries like clean clothing for the night. She lifted up the soft chambray kaftan shirt and rolled her eyes as it was such a male fantasy item. _Seeing a woman in a man's shirt…_ she thought sarcastically.

She pulled over her head and decided it was time to stop being so damn nervous about something she had already done before. It wasn't like they were going to have sex. She shook her head at her own silliness and opened the door.

When she stepped out all the lights were off and Ronon was in bed, she wondered if he was still naked and realised she would know soon enough.

Using the light coming through the window to guide her to the bed and saw Ronon wearing nothing but a blanket over his legs and hips and a closed lip smile, he was propped up on the pillows with his hands behind his head.

"Don't look so amused" she told him as she felt like she was in a b-grade movie where trashy stripper music would start playing at any moment and she was expected to shake her hips. One small saving grace was that this wasn't a movie and no music was playing.

"I've never seen anyone so nervous about going to bed" he mused.

"I'm not nervous" She said defensively, she had to stop herself from tugging on the shirt and walked to the bed.

"I won't bite" he told her, Hannah took a step towards the bed "This time" he added a smile of amusement on his lips. Hannah pursed her lips at him.

"I'm just dodging all the weapons in here, when this was my quarters, I left the armoury outside" she told him in a droll tone, she moved to the side of the mattress that was on the floor and lifted the fur blankets and cotton sheets up and slid into the bed.

"Or stashed in the air vents?" he asked her.

"Sometimes" she answered as she was about to lay her head down on one of the many pillows when Ronon slid down into the bed and pulled her into his side wrapping his arms around her leaving her no choice but to rest her head on his shoulder.

She laid her hand on his chest not sure of what to do. It felt weird to be so unsure of herself as she knew what to do but somehow she felt a trepidation she never felt before. She felt Ronon shift and she involuntarily tensed up. She was not used to lying in bed with a man and especially considering her and Ronon's rocky relationship add in the energy being floating through the power conduits. It made things even more difficult to relax.

"Relax, go to sleep" he murmured, she felt his lips brush the top her head. Hannah exhaled slowly and tried to relax but ended up gnawing her bottom lip wondering how long it would be before Ronon started snoring.

So she laid there in his arms as he slowly slipped into sleep and his breathing to even out into steady rise and fall. She listened to the steady rhythm of his heart beat, the combination of it with heat radiating off his skin and his steady breathing slowly lulled her to sleep.

* * *

><p>Ronon woke sometime close to dawn, the sky was just beginning to lighten as the sun was slowly coming up. He smiled as his body hummed in delight, of course, the erotic dreams he'd had of Hannah hadn't done a lot of good toward easing his frustration but had been non the less incredibly pleasurable.<p>

In his dreams, she had the smoothest, pale skin that he tasted eagerly with his tongue. Her thighs were slim, but strong, and when they wrapped around his hips, they pulled him close so that every aching inch of his erection was buried inside her sweet body. She'd moaned as he'd taken her, slow and deep, in a lazy rhythm that lured them both close to the edge of climax without pushing them over.

Ronon was in no hurry to end it, which is why he'd woken up before his body had found the physical release it so desperately needed.

Ronon kept his eyes closed and focused on breathing, focused on putting a damper on his libido. He was a man, not a boy, and totally in control of his actions, if not his bodily responses. No matter how much he wanted to pull her under him to finish what his dreams had started, he wouldn't.

But she didn't make it easy on him as she was draped over his body with her face nuzzled in his neck. He had one hand snaked under her shirt resting on her back while the other was tucked in her knickers resting on the globe of her ass. He took a deep inhale and then exhaled as he carefully moved his hand away from her ass to thigh, knowing it wasn't much better place to rest his hand but it was definitely safer for his sanity.

Hannah shifted in her sleep and he wondered if she was waking up but she didn't. Instead she only burrowed her face into his neck and held onto him more tightly for a moment before relaxing against him. He had to smile to himself as it felt really good to have her in his arms right now.

* * *

><p>Sheppard woke to the droning of his door chime, he looked at his bedside table and read the clock seeming impressed that he had slept in until 7am. He'd have to fit in his PT later in the day. The door chime played again and he grumbled as he rolled out of bed and walked to the door. He waved his hand over the sensor and was surprised to find Colonel Carter standing outside.<p>

"Sheppard" Sam said looking surprised to see him so dishevelled.

"Colonel" he replied before smothering a yawn. He was in his t-shirt and long cotton pants so he couldn't see why she was looking so uncomfortable. It wasn't like he was naked.

"We have a problem" Sam stated.

"We do?" Sheppard asked his brain not entirely switched on yet.

"Hannah isn't in her room" Sam informed him. She had gone down to the brig to check on Hannah only to find the cell was cleaned up, bar a bean bag and book; a copy of War and Peace.

"She isn't?" Sheppard asked still feeling bleary eyed.

"Are you going to keep parroting me?" Sam asked feeling a little frustrated as she had expected him to be on top of looking after Hannah whie the girl was in her 'selfimposed' isolation and here he was literally sleeping on the job. Worst case scenarios were already playing out in Sam's mind of where and what Hannah could be doing and she was just waiting for the lights to start flickering and for a call to come from the control room.

"No, but we left her. Locked up nice and tight." Sheppard told her scratching the back of his head.

"Well the door to her quarters has been pried open and she is gone" Sam told him. Sheppard's eyes opened wide at the news but then inwardly he realised that he knew what had happened. Or at least he could guess and he would start at Ronon's quarters.

"Ok, I'll get Ronon. We'll start a search before flying up the red flags" Sheppard told her. Sam was about to question his idea but was interrupted when her comm. beeped she just hoped it was related to Hannah.

"Colonel Carter here" Sam said, Sheppard watched as the Colonel listened to her comm and saw the frown. "Ok, I'm on my way" she said, she looked to him.

"I'll find her" Sheppard told her.

"It's a big city" Sam countered.

"Maybe you could talk to Zelenka, he was talking about recalibrating the city sensors to pick up Hannah's life signs or the energy being's signature." Sheppard told her.

"Ok, I will and you keep me posted" Sam told him.

"Yes Ma'am" he told her.

* * *

><p>Hannah grumbled as Ronon got out of bed. The doorbell chimed as he pulled on a pair of pants and waved a hand over the crystals. The door opened and Ronon quickly blocked Sheppard as the man had been ready to walk in. Sheppard noting the movement took a step back for a moment before narrowing his eyes and wondering why. He stepped forward to see what Ronon was hiding as he apprised him of the situation.<p>

"Sorry for the wake call but I'm looking for Hann-Oh, ok…" Sheppard drawled he took a second look at Hannah who half buried in Ronon's bed before he looked at Ronon. "So you and her?" he asked inferring that the two did more than just 'sleep'. A sly smile playing his lips.

"We were sleeping. What's up?" Ronon asked folding his arms looking to Sheppard.

"This explains why no one has seen yout at breakfast this morning. She's supposed to be in her room" Sheppard said pointing at Hannah who was out like a light.

"If she wants to kill you, she'll have to get through me first" Ronon told him, with a serious expression that Sheppard wrote it off as Satedan logic but even with that he was incredibly tempted to say 'Thanks for taking one for the team' but bit his tongue as he didn't want to be punched in the face today.

"Right and she was with you?" Sheppard asked looking at Ronon to fill in the blanks.

"All night, Sleeping" Ronon told him.

"Sleeping? You got protection right?" Sheppard said in a low voice, Ronon frowned and gestured to the wall that was covered in weapons of shapes and sizes. Sheppard knew instantly that his inference to prophylactics was completely misunderstood. He rubbed a hand over his face as it was too early in the morning for this and he could have sworn he heard Hannah stifle a laugh.

"I didn't need to use it as she didn't have any nightmares or try to slip away to kill you like Lorne. Whatever this thing is, it's not in Hannah" Ronon told him, Sheppard pressed his lips into a thin line as he tried not to make a joke at Ronon's expense he couldn't help it if he didn't notice the double entrendre of what he was saying.

"Ok, Well, I'll tell Carter and just keep Hannah out of trouble" Sheppard said trying hard not to smile and be serious as he was ordering his friend to go back to bed with a woman; Hannah no less.

"That all?" Ronon asked him.

"For now" Sheppard said with a weak smile as he turned and walked away. Ronon stepped back into his room and closed the door turning to the bed. Hannah was half buried under the blanket. Only half of her face and her legs were showing from under the blanket. He moved back to the bed and crawled over Hannah careful to keep his body from touching hers.

"Hannah" he said, Hannah rolled onto her back and opened her eyes looking up at him.

"Yeah" Hannah said with a sleepy smile. She stretched her hands over her head and arched her back as she stretched out underneath him.

"I am meeting you halfway" he told her as he lowered his face close to hers.

"Is that going to be your motto" she asked him as she tucked her arms back into the blankets to stop herself from wrapping her arms around him. The man was too good looking for his own good but she wasn't ready to give herself over to him again. Not yet.

"Only until you meet me halfway" he told her in teasing tone. Hannah rolled her eyes at him.

"You're being a tease" She told him, he knew he could argue that she was the tease but held his tongue.

"You know what I'm asking for" he told her.

"You mean where you want to court me where instead of long walks holding each other's hands and reading poetry, we go running and spar?" she asked in a teasing manner.

"If you prefer that, I would. I'm better with my actions than my words" Ronon told her.

"Right now I'd prefer it if you kiss me" she said in a innocent yet provocative manner. He knew it was easier for her to allow him be in charge so that way later on she could claim she was just going along for the ride but he wasn't going to have a bar of it. She had to be an active participant as much as he was. He pressed a gentle kiss to her nose.

"Let's go run" he told her, he smiled as she made a face and pulled the fur blanket over her head. She had expected a passionate kiss and he would have loved to give it to her but he knew if he did they wouldn't leave the bed and right now he needed a run and food to counter the sexual frustration he was experiencing and to distract Hannah.

"Tease" she groaned, Ronon chuckled as he pulled the blanket from face.

"You got your kiss, now get up" he told her.

* * *

><p>"How can you eat that stuff" Ronon told Hannah as she poured maple syrup on her oatmeal. He didn't understand how Hannah and the others could consume so many sickly sweet foods especially Maple syrup. They had finished a run, stopped by Hannah's quarters where she had showered and changed into fresh clothes before going back to his quarters when he had his chance to freshen up. He was not leaving Hannah's side and surprisingly she was going a long with it. He had expected her to fight him and try to go back to the cell but instead she was just letting the happen out.<p>

If he were honest, he was really waiting for the other shoe to drop and for her to start a fight or just disappear but for right now she was sitting opposite him in the mess with her own breakfast of oatmeal porridge and fresh fruit that was now drowning in maple syrup. Something he had to admit half amused and half disgusted him.

"Have you even tried it?" Hannah asked him as she placed the bottle of maple syrup on the table and proceeded to eat her breakfast.

"Once" he replied, he ate a fork full of eggs from his tray of bacon, scrambled eggs and toast with fruit. Glad he wasn't eating her breakfast.

"You know Maple syrup tastes amazing with bacon" she told him.

"I'm not trying it and get out of my bacon" he told her as she tried to steal a piece of bacon off his tray. Hannah laughed and was about to say something when the city P.A. activated.

"This is Colonel Carter. If I could have your attention please. I'm very sorry to have to tell you that we have lost a valuable member of the expedition today." sam's voice carried over the speakers, everyone stopped what they were doing and Hannah looked out to the view.

"Doctor Kate Heightmeyer meant a great deal to all of us. Her death is nothing short of tragic. I'm also sorry to have to report that the threat we face is still in our midst and until further notice, the full lockdown protocol will be put into effect. All non essential personnel are ordered to return to your quarters. Please try to remain calm and know we are doing everything we can to ensure everyone's safety and to resolve this situation quickly. Thank you." Sam said and then the P.A. system beeped indicating the end of the message.

"We should go" Hannah said with a sigh knowing it would look bad if they stayed to eat.

"We're finishing our breakfast first" Ronon told her. She looked at him oddly as she didn't expect him to say that, in fact he acted like there hadn't even been a death announcement.

"Didn't-" Hannah started but he cut her off.

"It makes no difference whether we're here or there. Eat" he told her. Hannah looked at him for a moment considering his viewpoint and in the end decided he was right. The mess was practically empty and right at that moment they both knew the chances of being possessed by the energy being were pretty low even though it had ramped up it's behaviour.

"Sure you don't want to try maple syrup on your bacon?" Hannah asked awkwardly filling the silence but also glad for his indifference as it made her feel better for not feeling grief over the demise of Heightmeyer. Hannah knew her but they weren't close friends, not like Heightmeyer had been with Teyla.

"Yes, I'm sure." he told her, he stabbed some bacon and offered it to her. Hannah smiled as she pulled the bacon from the fork, she then dipped it into some of the maple syrup floating in her oatmeal and ate it much to Ronon's disgust. She chuckled as he shook his head at her.

* * *

><p>"So are you going to follow me around all day or is there a plan?" Hannah asked Ronon an hour later after they finished a leisurely breakfast. As they walked out of the mess hall, Hannah couldn't help but notice how odd it was to find the city so quiet but then everyone locking themselves in their quarters.<p>

"I'm not following you" Ronon told her as he didn't like how it made him sound like a lovesick puppy.

"Keeping an eye on me for Sheppard's sake" Hannah said in a mocking manner a smile playing on her lips. Ronon chuckled and leaned towards her.

"I like to think of it as a good excuse to be near you" he said to her, he gave a shrug as if it wasn't such a big deal. Hannah stopped and turned to him.

"You don't need an excuse" Hannah told him.

"So then you won't mind sleeping together every night?" He asked quirking an eyebrow at her. He looked so mischievous, she was tempted to kiss him but stopped herself as they hadn't really discussed how they were going to act in public or even how his culture felt about public displays of affection.

"Maybe not every night. I need my space" She told him, trying to act casual even though the idea of sleeping next to him every night gave her butterflies in the stomach and a zing of pleasure at how would feel to wake up in his arms every morning. She suddenly knew what it felt like to be a teenager. He looked at her for a moment, his eyes glittering with amusement.

"If anyone needed their space it'd be me. You were all over me like a osminog. Not that I minded" he said, he watched as Hannah's cheeks grew pink and her jaw dropped in shock at when he said 'osminog'.

"A what?" she asked dumbfounded he would say she was like an octopus in Russian no less. She didn't remember moving during the night as she woke up in roughly the same position she went to sleep in. With exception that her leg had been resting over him, his hands had been the least of her embarrassment as she had felt his arousal and knew he was awake and just waiting for her to act. Part of her was tempted to just jump his bones but she just didn't feel comfortable enough to initiate anything. Luckily Sheppard had decided to drop by as he saved her from making a true idiot of herself.

"You laid on top of me like I was bed and wrapped your body around me like-"

"I know what an osminog is" Hannah said feeling her cheeks burn a deeper red at being compared to an octopus and the fact that Ronon thought it was adorable when the general population would find it a turn off.

"It seems to be your sleeping style" he told her finding her blush rather adorable.

"Well you snore" Hannah said lamely.

"So? I didn't hear you complaining last night" he countered wearing a smug smile as he knew what she was trying to do. Hannah made a face at him as she had no comeback.

"Ronon, Hannah" Sheppard said getting their attention as he came down the hallway toward them. Ronon and Hannah turned to face him. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked in a teasing manner as he sidled closer.

"No" Hannah said to him acting casual even with the tell tale of a blush. Sheppard looked to Ronon and the Satedan gave him a smile and shrug.

"What's up?" Hannah asked before Sheppard got the chance to tease her.

"Zelenka has rigged the city's life signs detector to scan Atlantis for the energy being" Sheppard said.

"Ok" Hannah said.

"And Colonel Carter would like to put you in an isolation room insulated with non conductive material. Just as a precaution and so they don't confuse your energy reading with the other one as you still have a positive reading" Sheppard said to her.

"I'd prefer the brig" Hannah said making a face as the idea of being put into the isolation room for who knew how long didn't appeal to her considering she had lasted the night and most of the morning with Ronon without being 'possessed'.

"Yes, I know but the isolation room has been specicifically prepared for you and I promise not to make any God jokes" Sheppard said, Hannah glowered at him as it was one of the reasons she hated the Isolation room with the observation deck up above. She knew Sheppard couldn't resist standing up there and talking down to her saying 'This is God speaking... ' followed by some irreverent speech.

"Fine, let's get this over with" Hannah told him.

"Lead the way" Sheppard said.

* * *

><p>10 minutes later, Hannah stepped into the isolation room and watched as the doors close with Sheppard and Ronon on the other side. She turned around at the space and saw there were two chairs which seemed ridiculous as she was going to be by herself. Ronon had offered to stay but Sheppard had made a face that told him it wasn't such a great idea. So Hannah told him she's be fine on her own.<p>

She moved to the nearest chair and sat down; already bored. She looked up at the observation deck and saw it was empty but that didn't mean no one wasn't watching. She leaned forward in her chair and dropped her head into her hands and gave a sigh as she had a feeling she would be in the room for a while. At least it would give her time to think about how she was going to implement her plans for Fisk and Wallace.

She had to admit the idea of taking control of the city like the Ancients had over a year ago made her feel like she was becoming the enemy again but it was the only way of gaining access to systems Sam would never allow her. And to do that without the others finding out she needed to work around the expedition's adapted interface which meant working directly with the Atlantis's mainframe. She was definitely going to have to brush up on her Ancient and also find another command interface in the city besides the one in the gate room as there was no way in hell that anyone would not notice her if she tried to access the mainframe from the key pad in the gate room like Helia had.

If she had control of the city it would make things a hell of lot easier on her and it would definitely give her an ace up her sleeve for later down the track once Fisk and Wallace were removed from Atlantis.

* * *

><p>"John told me that he saw you and Hannah together" Teyla said as she had run into Ronon on her way back to the transporter. She had wanted to see Heightmeyer's remains one last time and place a token on her body to carry with her to the next life. One of the many customs of her people practised that Teyla wanted to acknowledge her friend's passing in a small way. Once she said her prayers she headed out of the morgue and headed for the transporter where she met Ronon.<p>

The Satedan seemed to be pacing not sure of where he was supposed to go until he saw her and pretended like he did know. They had exchanged pleasantries and he gave her his condolences even if they were awkwardly given. Teyla expected as much as Ronon was not exactly in touch with his emotions or very good at showing them. But she appreciated his sentiments and so to smooth over the awkward moment she brought up what Sheppard had told her early that day. Sheppard's attempt of changing topic to cheer her up.

"None of your business" Ronon said, the way he looked and shuffled his feet gave him an air of endearing bashfulness mixed with 'I'm a tough guy' attitude.

"So there is something?" Teyla asked innocently, she couldn't help but smile just a little.

"I don't want to talk about it" he told her adamantly, he pressed the keypad to the transporter wishing the doors would open. Teyla was reminding him of his sister when they used to innocently poke fun at him when he started showing interest in the opposite sex.

"That's fine, just as long as you both are happy as that is all that matters" Teyla told him, he relaxed somewhat but it was premature "Just know that if you wish to talk about it, that I'm here" she added, Ronon took a deep breath and nodded knowing it was best to just accept her offer and stay quiet than talk. At least Teyla didn't push for information.

The door to the transporter finally opened and the two stepped inside and just as the door was about to close a hand snaked in. The sensor detected the hand and the door snapped opened, Zelenka gave them an apologetic smile.

"Sorry" he said as he stepped into transporter.

"Is everything ok?" Teyla asked as the doctor appeared to be distracted and somewhat upset. He pressed the map to the location he wanted and the doors closed.

"That energy being, it's in McKay" Zelenka told them. He gave a shrug as if to say 'it happens'. The room lit up as it transported them to where Zelenka wanted to go.

"I last heard it was in Hannah" Teyla said, it was the common rumour flying around the city since all the drama started. Zelenka shook his head.

"No, her energy reading differs from ours but they are consistent. The energy being's readings fluctuate. If you'll excuse me I have to go" Zelenka told them, Teyla and Ronon nodded and watched as the scientist rushed down the corridor to where his labs were. The two turned on their feet and stepped back into the transporter.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Minutes later, Ronon and Teyla stepped out of the Transporter at the puddle jumper bay and walked down the steps into the Control room when they saw Sheppard and Sam talking as they crossed the bridge from the Control room to Sam's office.

"We just heard." Ronon said as he and Teyla caught up with Colonel Carter and Sheppard. He knew they had interrupted the two from their conversation but he needed to know what was going on. Being with Hannah had meant he was out of the loop of what was going on in the city.

"There must be something we can do." Teyla said feeling the need to help in some way as she didn't want to lose yet another friend to the energy being.

"That's what we're talking about." Sam said she looked to Sheppard "OK, let's say for a second that you _could_ somehow communicate with it. What were you planning on saying?" Sam asked Sheppard, Ronon frowned even though he had a hard time believing in energy beings with sociopathic tendencies the death of Heightmeyer solidified the truth of the real danger he was trying to ignore. But then he had no clue how to fight something he could see or swing a sword at.

"I don't know - I hadn't gotten that far." Sheppard admitted with a shrug.

"It strikes me that if it feeds on fear or - worse - likes the thrill of killing its host, then ... it would take the last chance it had." Sam said.

"To kill McKay." Sheppard said stating the obvious, Sam sighed and lowered her head. Ronon was glad that they were finally over the assumption that Hannah was the one infected with the energy being but he didn't take satisfaction in the fact that it was in McKay. The man had enough fears that he didn't need this on top of it and of all the ways to die this one ranked pretty high on the unfair side of the scale.

"What about survival? It's trapped. Will it die without a living host to transfer to?" Sheppard asked Sam with a hopeful tone.

"I was hoping not to find out." Sam said. The conversation continued of Teyla, Sheppard and Colonel Carter cottonpulling ideas of how to convince McKay to ask an alien being to excuse itself from his body to hypnotising the man all hoping he wouldn't expire from fear before all of that. Ronon listened and felt useless as he had nothing to offer in this circumstance.

"I'm sorry - what? You want McKay to ask this thing to leave?!" Ronon asked incredulously as it seemed to be the main theme of their plan of action. McKay was exceeding intelligent but courage and strength in the face of danger was not a strong suit of his.

"We _are_ talking about McKay. Scary things are not exactly his strength." Sheppard said agreeing with Ronon that everything that they had come up with was not exactly gold.

"_And_ he is up against a creature apparently capable of manipulating his subconscious." Sam added hope dissipating in the group as their plan was looking like a dud.

"I wish there was a way for one of us to get in there." Sheppard said with a sigh of resignation.

"Into McKay's dreams?" Sam asked, she looked at him as if he on the right track.

"Yeah, you know, help him out; give him a little moral support. Come on - all the things you've seen, you've never come across a way for one person to get into another person's dreams?" Sheppard asked her, Sam looked at him and thought for a moment before her eyes light up. She nodded and without saying a word she left the office heading back to the control room.

"Where's she going? What's going on?" Ronon asked as he knew he missed something.

"I don't know, but I _think_ I'm about to see a side of McKay I never wanted to see." Sheppard remarked looking distinctly uncomfortable, Teyla moved towards him and placed her hand on his arm in a comforting gesture.

"It does not have to be you." Teyla told Sheppard, Ronon looked at the two as if they were speaking another language as he didn't know what the hell they were doing or how they were going to help McKay.

"Yeah, well, it's _my_ bad idea." Sheppard said to Teyla before he left the office to follow.

"_What_ was?" Ronon asked Teyla but the woman didn't hear him as she left the office to follow the other.

* * *

><p>Two hours later,<p>

Ronon stood at the railing in the observation deck above the Isolation room where Sheppard and McKay laid on two adjoining beds that had been brought in by the medical staff along with other medical equipment and an alien device. Keller and Zelenka like the other staff in the room were dressed in HAZMAT suits by the beds setting up machines and hooking up wires from the Alien device to Sheppard and McKay.

"We first encountered the technology ten years ago on a planet where the survivors of a holocaust were living entirely in a virtual world created in their minds. Since then, we've managed to modify it for use in the V.R. training of S.G. team members. It only took some minor calibrations to tune it in to subconscious activity." Sam explained to Ronon and Teyla who were also in the room with him watching the action below.

"So Sheppard is actually gonna see McKay's dreams?" Ronon asked as the Colonel was finally explaining what was going to happen or the main plan of action.

"Well, to be honest, the technology is untested for use in this manner. Dreams are much more random than conscious thought. It may be difficult for the system to translate what's going on in McKay's brain so that Colonel Sheppard can understand it. I'm just hoping that the two of them will be able to interact somehow." Carter told him. Ronon nodded in understanding even though it was going over his head. He looked back down into the isolation room.

He wanted to ask about Hannah and if she would be released but knew better than to ask as he didn't want to know what the Colonel's take was on Hannah being in a relationship let alone one with him. He also thought it would be best to leave such a discussion for when Hannah was ready to tell the others as he had a feeling it was a bigger deal for her than it was for him. He of course would tell everyone that he was in a relationship with Hannah now as he would rather the men on the base know she was his. But once again he felt like this was one of those cultural differences they shared and if he wanted Hannah he was going to have to meet her halfway.

* * *

><p>"Have I missed anything yet?" Hannah asked as she came into the observation deck. She had been released from her room only a few minutes ago by Nurse Ogawa. The nurse had been kind enough to update Hannah on what was going on. Hannah knew she should use the time to enable her plans but was more concerned for Sheppard. She moved to Sam's side as she stood next Ronon and looked down into the room.<p>

"Not yet" Sam told her. Hannah looked to Teyla and then Ronon and saw the concern etched in their faces as their friends weren't entirely sure of what was going to happen and they didn't want to lose their friends. But the sense of helplessness was tangible in the air.

"Administering sedative." Keller announced over the comm, she fiddled with the IV drips that was attached to McKay, the man's eyes fluttered closed and his heart rate lowered as the man slowly went to sleep. Hannah looked at the device Zelenka activated.

"What is that tech?" Hannah asked Sam in a low voice.

"You don't remember?" Sam asked, she frowned as she thought Hannah would remember but the young woman shook her head.

"No, before my time and technically your memories. I don't have those anymore" Hannah reminded her.

"It's an adaption of the Volsinii VR device" Sam told her, she didn't bother to 'dumb' it down as she knew Hannah would have read some part of it.

"Right, I remember reading about that" Hannah said nodding her head as she remembered reading about it. She looked down and watched as Sheppard's eyes closed and his vitals slowed indicating he was asleep. His brain waves slowly matched the same pattern as McKay's indicating they were currently in a 'melding' of minds.

Silence lapsed in the observation deck as they watched the two prone bodies on the bed. The beeps of their vital monitors were the only noise sounding in the room.

"So what we just stand around doing nothing now?" Ronon asked after 10 minutes passed and nothing of significant seemed to be happening.

"Pretty much" Hannah told Ronon. She didn't hide her amusement as she knew he understood what was happening in a rudimentary manner but was probably expecting it to be more exciting than watching two grown men sleep.

"Reminds of Galar" Sam said in a somewhat depressing if reminscent manner.

"Think it's going to be the same long hours?" Hannah asked Sam, she dragged up one of the computer chairs and sat down. Letting the others stand up as they looked down.

"Who knows, all depends on Sheppard's ability to get through to McKay and convince him not to be afraid" Sam stated. Hannah made a derisive noise.

"Like asking a Zebra to change his stripes" Hannah scoffed, Sam gave her a chastising look but it wasn't convincing as Sam was trying not to smile.

"Zelenka showed me the readings of your energy signature" Sam said changing topic before she said something she couldn't take back. She looked back down to the room.

"That my energy reading was stable unlike the energy being whose reading fluctuates. I was informed about it briefly" Hannah said sitting back in her chair. She looked to Ronon who was watching the going ons of down below. She couldn't help herself as she enjoyed the view, she had always been a professional at the SGC. But here on Atlantis the lines got a little blurry and since she was no longer employed well right now being professional was the last thing on her mind. Hell, right now she needed the distraction from what was happening down below.

"Yes, I asked the SGC to do a similar scan of Daniel to see if he have the same energy readout. Do a comparison" Sam told her. Hearing Daniel's name was like a cold bucket of water on her libido. Hannah shifted uncomfortably in her chair as her desire to not talk about Daniel hadn't waned in the slightest.

"Ok, though I don't see the point in it" Hannah told Sam, looking at the older woman.

"You may not but I do" Sam told her in a curt tone.

"Ok" Hannah said, in a tone that said 'I'm done discussing this'. Sam picked up on it and turned to face Hannah.

"Also where were you this morning? You were supposed to be in your quarters" Sam said, Hannah grimaced.

"I'm sorry, I freaked out" Hannah said lamely as she avoided the question about where she was. She had assumed Sheppard had told Sam that Hannah had been with Ronon but apparently Hannah was wrong.

"You pried the door open all by yourself?" Sam asked sceptical of Hannah's response. As there was no way Hannah could have pried the door open herself let alone escape the tower. Sam would have thought she'd escape via the air ducts.

"I helped her" Ronon said he turned his back to the room to join the conversation. It wasn't like McKay and Sheppard would miss him staring at them and Hannah shouldn't have to take the blame for something he started.

"You helped her" Sam said looking to Ronon, the colonel seemed to have a healthy mix of fear and respect for Ronon. She knew when to back down and when to pull rank with him even if he didn't acknowledge Earth military Protocol he did know better than to piss of the person in charge.

"You left her locked up in her room with no power" Ronon said as if it was enoug, he looked to Hannah who looked like more like a fragile child who was about to scolded than the strong woman he knew.

"You had a radio" Sam said to Hannah. A little taken aback as Sheppard hadn't mentioned anything about Hannah and Ronon being together.

"The battery had died and once I was out-" Hannah started but Ronon cut her off.

"I kept an eye on her-" Ronon was about to continue when McKay's vital's flatlined, the deafening tone followed by fractious activity down below drew everybody's attention back to the current situation. Hannah rolled her chair forward and watched as Keller and her team worked on McKay and Zelenka rambled to his support staff. It was hard to tell what was going on as everyone below were speaking on top of one but after couple of excruciating minutes the medical team restored McKay's vitals after a few jolts from the defibulator but it appeared that there was a problem as Sheppard's vitals had spiked.

"What's going on?" Sam asked the team below.

"Looks like Sheppard is Tachycardia" Hannah said, Sam looked her way wondering where the woman learned such language. "What? I watched M*A*S*H*" Hannah said defensively.

"His heart rate is dangerously high." Keller told them. McKay was slowly coming around and Zelenka informed them that the energy being had jumped into Sheppard via the alien tech or so he assumed.

"Can you wake Sheppard up?" Sam asked Keller.

"I could try, but in his physical state, that could make things worse." Keller informed her.

"Yes, and the entity would still be in him." Zelenka said, McKay propped himself up on one elbow slowly processing what was going on around him.

"Hook me up to him again." McKay told them.

"What?" Keller said in disbelief. Hannah realised what he was thinking and rose from her chair.

"Do it, hook him up" Hannah told Keller.

"But it would risk the entity from jumping back into McKay" Zelenka said before Keller to give a medical reasons as to why they shouldn't.

"No, it won't when McKay's heart was flatlined you used the defibulator and the energy being jumped before the electrical charge hit his body. The entity won't jump into McKay's body as his cells are still charged by jolt. Ergo you need to use the defibulator on Sheppard but he has to be aware of what you're doing and only McKay can do it. Now hook him up" Hannah told them.

"Do you know what that will do to Sheppard if we use use a defibulator on him now?" Keller asked incredulously.

"Yes, I do" Hannah told her.

"Colonel" Keller said, Sam looked to Hannah. Hannah turned to Sam and gave her an imploring look.

"Please trust me this will work, McKay wouldn't be stupid enough to risk his life if it wasn't going to work" Hannah told Sam in a firm tone.

"Hey!" McKay said annoyed at Hannah's comment.

"Please" Hannah implored. Sam took a deep breath and exhaled before she looked down at Keller.

"Do it" Sam ordered.

* * *

><p>Hours later,<p>

John is sat at a table on the Mess Hall balcony. He has a bowl of nibbles in front of him whilst reading comic. He hadn't even bothered to try sleeping yet but then the idea of sleeping and possibly dreaming didn't hold any appeal for him. He heard laughter and turned to see Hannah and Ronon come into the mess. He had to admit it was really weird seeing the two acting so chummy after weeks of being awkward with one another or at each other's throats but he had to admit he like it. It was rare to see either of them so relaxed and for Ronon to smile. It was also nice to not have his friends fighting.

He watched as Hannah went to the snacks table and attempt to pick up a prewrapped cookie only for Ronon to take it from her and hand her an apple taking the cookie for himself. Hannah rolled her eyes at him as he gave her a 'try me' look as he held out a bottle of water he handed her and she took the bottle of water from him and walked over to his table.

"Hey, what are you two doing here?" he asked as Hannah sat down opposite, Ronon took the seat beside her placing his own bottle of water on the table.

"I was doing laundry. Now just waiting for it all to finish in the drier" Hannah told him.

"Laundry" he said his tone laden with innuendo as he put down his comic. He looked between the two waiting for Ronon to explain himself but the Satedan didn't say anything or even look awkward for not explaining himself.

"I was running out of clean clothes" Hannah told him.

"I can see as you're wearing Athosian clothing. It looks good on you" Sheppard said, he bit his tongue as he was tempted to say that it made her look more native to the Pegasus Galaxy and more suited to Ronon. But held his tongue, he'd save it for later.

"Yeah? I do miss it. It's heaps lighter than our gear" Hannah told him as she sat back in her chair.

"Well you get the luxury of wearing whatever you want though, you should put on some shoes" Sheppard advised her, he hadn't missed the fact that she had been walking around the city barefooted and that she was wearing the same outfit from yesterday.

"I kind of like walking around barefooted but for your sake I'll put on my boots" Hannah told him, she pulled a knife seemingly out of nowhere and started to carve into her apple.

"Thank you. So tell me when are you two going to go on a date?" Sheppard asked changing the conversation as he knew Hannah was threatening bodily harm and didn't want to know the specifics.

"A date?" Hannah asked as she nearly choked on the apple slice she was eating.

"Yeah, moonlit picnic or sitting next to one another at movie night sharing popcorn" Sheppard suggested he had to admit he liked how pink cheeked the two were getting at him giving them suggestions. He wondered if this was what it felt like to be a father embarrassing his offspring. The two looked at one another awkwardly which only made Sheppard want to coo at them for being so adorable but he refrained as he liked his face the way it was currently arranged.

"It's none of your business" Ronon told him half seriously and half jokingly.

"Ok" Sheppard said leaving it alone. For now. He picked up a pretzel from his snack bowl and ate it. He saw Teyla come up to the table and was glad for the reprieve as he wasn't ready to be the third wheel at the table but then the two weren't acting overtly like a couple. So there wasn't any reason to feel too uncomfortable yet.

"I couldn't sleep" Teyla told the table sheepishly as if it were her reason instead of asking what their excuse for being up so late was and asking to join them.

"Yeah, it seems to be going around. Join us" Sheppard said with a smile to Teyla. She joined them taking a seat next Sheppard, her ever observant eyes read the situation very well. Ronon raised an eyebrow at her wondering if she was going to remark on Hannah and Ronon sitting next to one another.

"Yeah, Sheppard was about to make an ass of himself as per usual" Hannah told Teyla. The Athosian smiled as Hannah and Sheppard were always bickering like small children but it was amusing unlike the bickering McKay and Sheppard got into.

"I'm sorry, and look here I have a triple chocolate cookie" Sheppard said he lifted the prewrapped cookie he had put on the floor to take to his quarters later and waved it in the air in front of Hannah like a pendulum. The apple and the knife in Hannah hands were placed on the table.

"Apology accepted" Hannah said snatching the cookie from him and opening the wrapper. She took a deep inhale enjoying the sweet aroma of chocolate cookie goodness. A serene smile gracing her lips.

"Hey where did you get that?" McKay asked Hannah as he came up to the table with a tray laden with food.

"It's mine" Hannah told him. "Anyway what are you doing up?" she asked narrowing her eyes suspiciously at him. She even edged her seat away from Ronon's as he looked at her and the cookie with amusement.

"Thought I'd have a little snack before I ..." McKay drawled, Sheppard waved to him to take a seat at the head of the table.

"Yeah, we couldn't sleep either." Sheppard said.

"Speak for yourself. I'm just hungry and I plan to finish this-" Hannah stopped to smack Ronon's hand away from her cookie "my snack then to bed for a nice long sleep" Hannah told him.

"I don't know how you could possibly sleep after what has happened" Keller said as she came up to the table with a cup of coffee in hand.

"Can't control my nightmares or dreams and sleep is a necessity of life" Hannah said with a shrug.

"Pull up a seat Doc" John said as it was starting to be a real get together.

"Thanks" Keller said taking the invitation, she pulled up a chair and sat down at the corner next to McKay and Teyla. She placed her cup on the table and smiled nervously at the group. Keller though not new to the Pegasus Galaxy was still new to forming relationships with those at the table as she had been night shift until Beckett's demise. She like the others watched as Hannah struggled to keep her cookie from Ronon's reach, it was so weird for them to see Ronon being playful especially Keller as she always thought of him as rather dark and forboding yet attractive man. It was kind of adorable.

"I give up" Hannah declared, her cheeks flushed she tossed the cookie back to Sheppard and pouted as Ronon looked smug with victory. "Happy?" she asked him.

"Immeasurably" Ronon said to her, as her seat was closer to his and that he had gotten her to eat a healthier choice of snack. He didn't know why it mattered to him but he didn't like the idea of her getting ill from too much sugar.

"Should I ask?" Keller said looking at the two.

"Ronon has designated himself my Health Enforcer" Hannah said picking up the apple she had discarded earlier along with the knife and started to carve a slice out.

"You didn't see the amount of Maple Syrup she had at breakfast" Ronon told Keller in a no nonsense manner.

"It was a small modicum" Hannah said defensively before eating a slice of apple.

"More like half the bottle" Ronon scoffed, he suddenly noticed that everyone was looking at him oddly. "What?" he asked them.

"Why should you care what Hannah eats?" Sheppard asked him, a grin on his lips. Ronon cleared his throat using the half a second to think of an excuse.

"I have my reasons" Ronon said, in a tone that said he would not give a better answer. He gave Sheppard a daring look one that Sheppard had learnt that if he continue to push the line he might get punched in the face.

"What reasons? And isn't that the same outfit you were wearing yesterday?" McKay asked completely oblivious to what he was stepping into. The man was a genius but sometimes he missed the blindingly obvious when it came to social situations.

"Laundry day and Sheppard told Ronon to look out for me" Hannah told him before Ronon answered.

"Good luck with that" McKay scoffed giving Ronon a sympathetic look. Hannah glowered at him while the others tried not to look too amused by McKay.

"Hi, you guys mind if I join?" Sam asked as she had seen the group and not wanting to sit alone took a chance. She wondered up just to hear McKay's last words, not exactly a great time to enter the group but Sheppard and Teyla noticed her approach and seemed welcoming.

"Sure though you might not want to sit next to McKay. I have a feeling Hannah might throw her knife at him before the night is out" Sheppard said in good humour.

"It's hard not to miss such a large target" Hannah said dryly, McKay's jaw dropped at her insult.

"Play nice" Sam said in a motherly tone as she dragged a chair over and sat down at the other end of the table next to Hannah and Sheppard.

"Well, I think it's time you all regale me with your nightmares about Sheppard" Hannah said to the table.

"No" Sheppard said shutting down that topic before it could even begin.

"What? it couldn't have been that bad. I've had a nightmare about you before" Hannah said to him in a mocking manner as she carved out another slice of her apple.

"Really? What is it about me frightens you?" Sheppard asked in an amused tone.

"Your whole 'American boy' appeal, I had this horrible nightmare about living in surburbia with a minivan and an army of your offspring terrorizing us" Hannah said shivering in mock disgust.

"That is horrifying" Sheppard said in agreement.

* * *

><p>Hannah was the first to leave the group. It wasn't like she wasn't enjoying herself but she had reached her limit. She needed to get her clean clothes out of the laundry room and then sleep. So she said her goodnights and left the mess hall, she had half expected Ronon to join her but when he gave no sign he was going to join she left. A small part her was kind annoyed that he hadn't followed her, she just hoped she wasn't too obvious.<p>

She had stopped by the laundry and packed her clean clothes into the huge duffle and then headed to the transporter. Once she inside she transported to the hallway that led to her quarters. She stepped out of the transporter and stopped for a moment looking behind her, double checking she was alone before she stepped into the transporter and hit the dial for her place.

She and Ronon had talked briefly about her going back to his place but she wasn't entirely sure of arrangement or when it was supposed to begin. She didn't want to make a fool of herself. She slowly walked down the hallway keeping her footsteps light and her ears open, her hours in the isolation room had made her paranoid about Fisk and Wallace trying to test her. It made her wish for the first time since her return that her quarters were in a more populated area of the city. She pulled the knife from her boot just as a precaution.

When she got to her front door, she made a mental note to pick up a tablet computer and a life signs detector later in the day. She waved a hand over the door sensor and the doors unlocked and swooshed open. The lights automatically came on and Hannah stepped in closing the door and keeping an ear out for odd noises. She checked the rooms and when she found nothing out of place, only then did she relax for just a fraction. She sheathed her knife and went to her bedroom and pulled a small duffle bag from underneath her bed and packed it with some spare clothes.

She was halfway through packing when the door chimed. Hannah's heart pounded in her chest as the door chimed a second time. She questioned unsheathing her knife but told herself not to be ridiculous. She left her bedroom and went to the front door, she waved a hand over the door, the door opened and relief washed over her as it was Ronon.

"Hey" she said, trying to act calm and casual even thought she was recovering from a massive burst of adrenaline.

"You're pale. What's wrong?" he asked with concern.

"It's not everyday some comes calling at 2am. It's been a long day I just need to sleep" she told him.

"Then come with me back to my place" He told her, knowing better than to push especially after the day they had both had. He also wanted to just hold her in his arms.

"Or you can stay here" she said with a hopeful smile.

"My bed's more comfortable" he told her, not that he knew from experience but given his height he was not exactly enamoured of the small beds in Atlantis and he liked the feel of Hannah against his skin in contrast with the fur blankets. Something Hannah was lacking in her quarters.

"You haven't even tried mine" she said as she closed the gap between them and ran her hands up his shirt.

"My feet will hang over the edge we're going back to my place" he told her, she chuckled as she pushed up on her feet moving her mouth close to his.

"You going to meet me halfway?" she asked in a teasing manner before Ronon could reply she kissed him, he momentarily stunned as he hadn't expected her to do so. Sure they had been dancing around it for the past few weeks but they were here; he wasn't going to waste it. This was the opening he had been waiting for. She broke the kiss momentarily to take a breath, he took the opening and bent his knees and reached his hands down to her ass. She moved her arms around his neck to get a better hold as he lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around him as she kissed him again, slowly and she adjusted the angle of her head and the pressure of her lips that made him groan in pleasure.

He tightened his grip on her legs as he felt her slipping or maybe it was he who was slipping, he wasn't sure of anything when her tongue shyly brushed his lower lip. Stroking and teasing it's way into his mouth. He was tempted to take control and turn the kiss into a more harder more heated kiss but he was too busy enjoying the slow burn of the one they were currently enjoying. He also didn't want to overwhelm as he had done previously so he let her set the pace.

After a few moments, Hannah broke the kiss and Ronon pressed his forehead to hers. Both a little breathless, Hannah unhooked her legs and Ronon slowly lowered them to the floor. "I think you should at least try my bed once" she told him, she ran her hands down from his neck to the front of his shirt and tugged on it directing him towards her room.

* * *

><p><em>TBC- Cya all in the future...<em>


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Mid morning of the next day,

"Your bed is too short" Ronon said as his feet hung off the end of the bed. He trailed his fingers up and down Hannah's lower back tracing the faint scars, her whole body seemed to cover with them. Some looked like they were from injuries sustained from various types of weapons. And it wasn't just her back, they were all over her body or at least what he could see as she wearing her knickers and racer back tank that had rode up in the night.

By the scars it looked like she had fought several wars which contradicted the rumours that were flying around the base about her old life.

It wasn't the only contradictions he found with the rumours as none of the scars were fresh. By the age of them he would have said she had them for over a decade but that was impossible as she didn't have them the last time she had been on Atlantis and that was over a year ago. No scars faded quickly.

He was sure he would carry his scars until his death if McKay hadn't healed them. Something he had appreciated more than he would ever tell the scientist. The scars hadn't really bothered him but he had felt a sense of relief, like a weight had been lifted off him when he didn't see them in the reflection of the mirror.

He often felt curious to ask her but felt it might make her self-conscious or like he had felt his scars; it was the past, something best not to think about. In Hannah's case it was better not to think about it at all.

"You weren't complaining earlier" Hannah said as she lifted her head up and bit her bottom lip trying not to laugh as it was pretty funny. Last night they had only fooled around for a bit before going to sleep with him curled around her, spooning her from behind. Her body cocooned in his, how they managed to become untangled and into their current position with her lying on top of him was just a mystery of sleep. But she was definitely not complaining as she liked waking up warm, feeling safe and well rested.

"I was distracted then" He told her and he wasn't talking about what they did before they went to sleep either. Not that that wasn't fun but somewhere in the early hours of the morning; he awoke to Hannah sprawled across him practically humping him in his sleep.

It was lucky he had decided to keep his pants on. As uncomfortable as it was it did save him from doing something he'd regret. Either way how was he supposed to have a coherent thought about his feet being over the end of the bed when Hannah had rolled and writhed on him, he could of sworn she had moaned his name but it could have been sleep deprivation and his desire for her to be just as affected as he was.

"Then tonight we'll go to your quarters" she told him, a delectable smile gracing her lips.

"Yeah?" he asked liking that idea a hell of a lot better than spending the night in her bed again.

"Yeah unless you need your space" Hannah teased. She hoped he didn't need his space as she was really getting addicted to him.

"Nah I like having you wrapped around me" he told her as he brushed some of her hair behind her ear.

"But you want more" She asked him referring to sex. She was laying on the proof that he wanted sex and the fact he hadn't pounced on her or tried to seduce her made her feel somewhat relieved and earned her respect and trust as he was giving her time to make sure she was ready to be intimate with him. It seemed somewhat ridiculous considering they already had sex already but she couldn't help the way she felt. She was still separating the fantasy of him from the reality. If she were honest she preferred the reality as he was more complex and the fact they disagreed on certain subjects and fought like normal people just solidified that it wasn't all in her head, it also made her feel more grounded in herself for some reason she couldn't begin to comprehend.

"I'm patient, there's no rush" He assured her though inside his patience was getting a good workout. He knew there were only so many nights he could sleep with her lying on top of him and not take advantage especially if she was going to have sex dreams about him while on top of him. But he'd wait, hell he went 7 years without sex, he could survive a few weeks more even if she had wet his appetite already, the blatant reminder of what he missed. It wasn't just the carnal pleasure he had missed, he also missed the emotional intimacy and connection of being with another person. Something he knew he could attain with Hannah.

They just needed to get to know one another and in that time he would slowly and methodically learn all her secrets and pleasure zones of her body that by the time they did get around to having sex again, he'd have her so hooked she'd never look at another man. Ronon knew it was vanity but he wasn't going to leave that open to chance for some other guy to come in and try for Hannah. Just thought made him want to kill the imaginary suitor.

"Your body is telling me a different story" Hannah said as she rolled her hips creating a delicious friction along the length of his erection, Ronon lost his breath for a moment.

"I could say the same for you" He said, he moved his hands over her ass to cease her movements. He was not going to lose it in his pants. He gave her a heated look as he felt her shiver in arousal. She licked her lips in anticipation of kissing and moved her head closer to his and then the door bell chime announcing a visitor. Hannah groaned and dropped her head against his chest while Ronon had to laugh. She didn't see what he found so funny, she was ready to shag the man senselessly or at least try and someone was knocking at the door. It was like the outside world was in tune with keeping her abstinate just when she wanted to break it.

"This is why my place is better, no one will interrupt us unless it's an emergency and the bed is big enough for the both of us" he informed her, she shook her head and pushed up and off his body as the door chimed again.

"Send them away" Ronon told her as he watched her get out bed. She ran a hand through her hair looking a little lost for moment before she picked up a shirt. His shirt, it glided down her body and ended mid thigh.

Ronon felt tempted to tell her it was his shirt she was wearing but decided against it as Hannah left the room telling whoever was at the door she was coming.

* * *

><p>"Hannah" Sam said with a smile, she had stopped by thinking they could have breakfast together. Somehow seeing Hannah in Ronon's shirt told her that breakfast wasn't going to happen. She had wanted to have a quiet discussion with Hannah about her escapades of late, to remind her that she really needed to play by the rules but seeing Hannah looking tousled and wearing Ronon's shirt threw her through a loop.<p>

"Hey" Hannah said a little too upbeat as she brushed a hand through her hair.

"I come at a bad time?" Sam asked, feeling like the bad guy as she knew she would have to nip whatever was brewing between Ronon and Hannah in the bud very quickly. She knew the IOA wouldn't approve let alone O'Neill, she was supposed to help Hannah acclimate and then move back to Earth. Even if Sam wanted her on Atlantis this was not the time for Sam to be fostering her.

"No, what's up?" Hannah asked a little nervously as she wondered in Ronon was going to stay in her bed or walk out the bedroom and just announce to Colonel Carter they were sleeping together. It made her lips quirk as 'Sleeping together' to most people meant having sex whereas with Ronon it meant getting some actual sleep.

"Can I come in?" Sam asked her, just to test the waters, Hannah pursed her lips and looked reticent to invite her in.

"Ah, can we talk in hour over breakfast?" Hannah asked making a compromise, she didn't like how Sam was sounding so official and she really needed time to collect herself before what she assumed would be a dress down for yesterday's escapades to be lumped on her. No matter what happened it seemed Hannah was at fault.

"If we can't talk now I'd prefer to speak with in my office. Say half an hour?" Sam said, it was supposed to be a question but it came out more like an order.

"Ok, half an hour" Hannah said. Sam gave a nod.

"Good, I'll see you then and leave Ronon behind. This is going to be a private conversation" Sam told her.

* * *

><p>Hannah watched Sam walk away feeling perplexed as to why Sam was acting so weird. She stepped back into her quarters and closed the door, she looked down at her dress only to realise it was not her dress.<p>

"Oh god" Hannah said as she realised she was wearing Ronon's shirt. It was like a neon sign of 'Hey, I'm shagging Ronon Dex' if there ever was one and she hadn't had sex with him since that first night where they both had been drunk. She went back to the bedroom and leaned through the doorway. Ronon made her double bed look ridiculous small. He was sitting up in bed with his knees bent. He looked at her with a wicked smile.

"You think this is funny?" she asked him as she tugged on the front of his shirt in a mocking manner.

"I tried to tell you" He said with a smile that contradicted his words.

"Uhuh" Hannah drawled in good humour. She turned on her feet and went to her duffel bag that was by the dresser filled with clean clothes and started pulling out what she would wear for the day. She had to meet with Sam and by how uptight the woman was acting, Hannah figured wearing Athosian clothing was out of the question. Something about wearing Athosian clothing made her feel like she were betraying those on Atlantis but yesterday she couldn't ignore how comfortable she had felt in them.

"So what did Colonel Carter want?" he asked watching Hannah, a little disappointed she wasn't crawling back into bed with him. He watched as she tried to decide between the Atlantis grey uniform or her Athosian clothing. Sometimes he wished he could hear her thoughts just to know what was going on with her.

"To talk to me about something. She doesn't look happy." Hannah said, looking sad at the fact she had chosen to put away her Athosian clothing. "So I gotta rush. I'll see you for Dinner?" she asked him with a hopeful tone.

"Sure, but I'm going to need that shirt back" he told her.

* * *

><p>Hannah had a quick shower and rush dressed herself into the grey Atlantis uniform with black placards with a blank tank underneath and her combat boots. She left Ronon in her quarters and rushed for the transporter to where she was now walking across the small bridge that connected the control room to Sam's office. She saw Chuck was talking with Sam and slowed her pace until she stopped just at the doorway.<p>

She tugged on the collar of the jacket as she had her current outfit that once felt like a second skin now felt heavy and uncomfortable on her body. She couldn't understand why as she loved the Atlantis uniform but right now she felt uncomfortable and itchy. She knew the itchiness was psychosomatic as she was nervous about what Sam would say to her. Sam and she never really butted heads, not in the way she and Vala did. But that was before she was captured by the Ori and had changed. There was no denying that Hannah had changed and Sam was the leader of the Expedition so she had to change to fit into her new role. Which meant she couldn't be everyone's friend.

After a few moments of standing there listening to the two talk about day to day running of the base before Sam looked up at her. She gave a quick smile to Chuck and dismissed him before she gestured to Hannah to the guest chair.

"Come in" Sam said to Hannah. Hannah stepped into the office and took the seat watching as Sam closed the door. Something that was never a good sign.

"Ok, so what's going?" Hannah asked as Sam walked around her desk and took her chair behind the desk.

"I wanted to talk to you about yesterday without the others around. I was hoping to talk this morning but I realised this needed to be done in a more official setting." Sam to her.

"Ok" Hannah said carefully not sure why they had to talk alone. Sam leaned forward on the desk and clasped her hands together looking at Hannah with a serious expression.

"You broke Quarantine and considering what I assume I interrupted earlier this morning. I see now why Ronon helped you" Sam said, Hannah's eyes narrowed as she didn't appreciate the insinuation that Hannah exchanged sexual favours to get sprung out Quarantine, even if Sam didn't mean to say it the way she had.

"I don't mean you any disrespect but Ronon and I; are none of your business and I didn't ask him to break me out. He that all on his own" Hannah told Sam in a firm tone.

"But you still spent the night at his place instead of remaining in quarantine as you should have. Now before you start arguing the semantics of the situation, there's no point because the point of contention is that you willingly and knowingly disobeyed direct orders from myself and Doctor Keller which could have led to harming the others in the expedition" Sam told her, Hannah was speechless as Sam was correct but the fact Sam wouldn't let her argue her side felt incredibly harsh to her. Sam, of course didn't expect a response and continued to talk.

"Hannah, I wanted to talk to you as if we're friends but I've come to realise I was wrong about that. There has to be some separation as I'm the leader of this expedition. I can't be seen to play favourites and I'm always going to feel inclined to do so with you because of our past relationship. I don't want to have to choose between the safety of the whole and you" Sam said.

"Ok" Hannah told her, trying hard not to shift in her chair. The way Sam was acting was making her feel uncomfortable.

"With that being said. I understand that you feel that what you do with your personal time is none of my business but you need to remember your time on Atlantis is temporary and it's primarily contingent on your behaviour and your value to community as a whole. Who you fraternize with and how they influence your actions could affect your chances of remaining here" Sam told her. Hannah pursed her lips as she listened to Sam. It barely sounded like the woman she knew but Hannah did understand what she was saying and man did it make her boil with anger.

"I understand what you're saying" Hannah told her.

"Do you? because your behaviour tells me otherwise. I'm willing to give you lee way for the month and half you are here but if you don't show progress General-"

"You will kick me out. Own your actions and don't put the blame on General O'Neill. You will opt me off this base because you can't find a use for me or you find me too much to handle. I understand completely" Hannah told her in a quiet and angry tone.

"You don't have much time to show progress, I felt it was time that I warn you. I think it's best that you try to remain from becoming deeply attached-"

"Because you're going to forcibly remove me from the Atlantis" Hannah said, she couldn't believe what Sam was saying but she could see the pain and the guilt in the woman's eyes. She assumed Hannah was going to be too much trouble, a mark on her record and it stung Hannah that Sam would talk to her this way.

"No, you misunderstand. I don't want you to leave but you haven't exactly made your allegiances clear other than you won't go back to Earth or sign on the Expedition with IOA. While they are letting you have some breathing space there will come a time when you'll have to choose and Atlantis won't be a choice. Imagine how that will affect the relationships you are forming." Sam told her.

"Did Ronon or Teyla sign contracts with the IOA?" Hannah asked.

"It's not the point" Sam told her, Hannah's lips quirked in humourless smile.

"It most certainly is" Hannah told her firmly.

"They have a verbal agreement with Sheppard which in lieu is an unofficial agreement with the IOA" Sam told her. Hannah sat forward in her chair and looked Sam head on.

"So you want to know where I stand, that way you can know how much control you have over me before you tried to boot me out?" Hannah asked her.

"It's not like that, I'm not trying to make you leave" Sam told her in a frustrated tone as she was obviously not speaking clearly for Hannah to understand.

"Yes, it is. To you I'm an unknown variable, something you can predict and this being your first real command you feel you have to prove you have some measure of control. The ability to hack the burden of command" Hannah said scathingly. This time Sam narrowed her eyes at her, not liking Hannah's assessment of her or the lack of respect that Hannah was displaying.

"I don't appreciate your attitude. Were you like this to Vala? Is this why she left as soon as she could?" Sam asked. Hannah's eyebrows raised up for a moment in surprise as she hadn't realised Vala had left but she then quickly accepted that it was Vala's choice. She gave a shrug and sat back.

"Vala made a decision to go home as I made her feel uncomfortable because I won't agree with that I have treated Daniel in an unjust manner" Hannah said, Sam couldn't help but feel chilled by Hannah's disposition. "like you she didn't seem to understand that I'm not one of you any more. That I am not like the old me and I will never be that person again. Just as I am not of Earth, or the SGC-"

"You were" Sam said cutting her off as Sam couldn't remember the last time Hannah had admitted her past at the SGC or their history in public conversation. She reminisced with Sheppard about Atlantis but never about Earth.

"Before your government decided to abandon me to the ORI, when you all abandoned me" Hannah said bitterly.

"It wasn't that simple" Sam told her in a low tone, Hannah saw the pain Sam carried in her but didn't want to acknowledge it.

"It felt like it to me!" Hannah told her in an outraged yet quiet tone. She knew the office wasn't sound proofed. The last thing she needed was for the gossip to spread around that she was screaming like a banshee. "We lost General O'Neill to Ba'al and we move Heaven and Earth to get him back. The same again for every member of SG-1 including yourself. But when I get trapped by the ORI? Oh no different story entirely because I'm just a clone, I'm expendable" Hannah said.

"You were not-"

"Don't patronise me, I followed you and the others on and off for months after I turned ORI. I watched you all search for the Ark. It was just business as usual and that isn't what pisses me off. You know what pisses me off is that you wrote me off so completely and quickly even when you knew I was alive. You knew I had turned ORI. You didn't once try to trap me like you did with Daniel and change me back. Now that I'm back here it's like I'm the kid in the middle of two parents getting a divorce. A tug of war on who gets to have me and I apparently am not allowed to make my own choices. When I do make them, its 'temporary' and contingent on me 'behaving' myself. There are so many provisos it's like you're just placating me until you get your way and I'm dragged off to Earth" Hannah said, Sam looked away for a moment

"I know it may seem that way but-"

"No, I fought for your people, I died for you and ascended into hell for you. Do you think it was all sunshine, rainbows and never ending peace and joy being ascended?" Hannah didn't even wait for Sam to answer "Because it wasn't-" Hannah stopped for a moment as she couldn't find the words let alone burden Sam with the knowledge of what happened to her let alone if it would mean anything to Sam. "Because it wasn't and I came back here because this is where I want to be. I need to be here" Hannah told her.

"Why?" Sam asked, Hannah reared at the question.

"That for once is none of your business" Hannah told her flat out. The reasons for her return were complicated. Sure Ronon was a major part of that reason but there were other factors. Factors Hannah was not going to share with Sam any time soon.

"Is it him?" Sam asked.

"Who?" Hannah asked.

"Ronon, did you come back because of him?" Sam asked something about her tone made it sound like coming back for a man was one of the worst reasons to de-ascend.

"No and why does it matter why I came back?" Hannah asked, she lied, it was mostly due to Ronon, she promised she'd come back to him. But really it was the whole package of him and being in Atlantis, the people like Sheppard and Teyla, the Athosians who gave her a sense of peacefulness, a sense of home and belonging that settled her damaged spirit. She could feel herself healing and knew that she could be happy on Atlantis. It was what she had fantasised as her safe haven when in ORI Captivity and now she wanted the reality.

"Because when Daniel came back he came back for a reason. To help us fight Anubis and I can't help but think you came back for a reason but you're not telling us or me why" Sam told her.

"And with that in mind you must think I'm just screwing around like a lush waiting for the fun times to begin?" Hannah asked.

"I don't know what to think. Sometimes I look at you and I see the old you, wearing that locket as if you're going to turn around and call me 'Mom' but this 'new' you. I've tried but you're so abrasive don't know what to expect and every time I try to trust you, you break rules and endanger yourself and distract this mission statement of this expedition. So I think I deserve to know why you're here and what your plans are" Sam told her.

"I was cast out!" Hannah yelled at her. She hadn't meant to yell but for some reason she had and now she had, she looked to see that she had garnered the attention of those in the control room. At least they had the decency to look away quickly and pretend they hadn't heard.

"What?" Sam asked confused and shocked as she hadn't expected that response.

"I wasn't one of them. They just needed me to fight their battles and once the wars were over, I was no longer needed. They found me impure because I was created in a lab, apparently I have no soul and it also didn't help that I went against nearly every tenet they held true to. So they cast me out. It's the story of my life. Happy now?" Hannah asked Sam. Hannah told her the truth even if Hannah hadn't made the deal with Morgan Le Fey she would have never lasted as an Ancient. That and Hannah only wanted to come back to Atlantis, it was her motivation. Hannah suddenly felt like a fraud in Atlantis uniform. She had felt professional in them when walking into the office and now she felt like they belonged to someone else.

Sam looked shell shocked by what Hannah told her but it didn't stop Hannah from the roll she was on.

"No one wants me unless I am able to be use in some expendable manner. I'm a means to an end and now I'm here without a mission. There's no agenda. I'm not here for your benefit, I'm not here to save you, I just want to stay on Atlantis and have the life I feel I deserve. I can however help around the city, I'm an engineer, I'm a soldier. You know my skills are an asset and here in the Pegasus Galaxy I'm not special. I'm just like everyone else. No one is tracking me down to steal me away. To the Wraith I'm just like every other human. Just another meal. But it's obvious to me I will never be fully welcomed back into the fold. I'll make sure to return all of my uniforms in so someone else can get some use of them." Hannah told her.

"Hannah, this isn't how I wanted this conversation to go"

"Yes, I know. I have a knack of turning every conversation ugly" Hannah told her.

"What are we going to do?"

"We are going to learn to co-exist and one day I'm going to ask for work and I hope you'll say yes. If not, then I will have to make some hard choices but until then I want you to respect my privacy" Hannah said as diplomatically as she could.

* * *

><p>"What are you doing in here? and what are you wearing?" Demming asked Hannah, as he came into his lab to find her looking through his stuff. He really didn't like this habit she was building but wasn't going to complain as he liked being able to sit down without pain.<p>

"They are called clothes. You mind if I borrow this?" Hannah asked holding up one of his tablet computers. She had left Sam's office half an hour ago and gone straight to her quarters to change out of the Atlantis uniform and straight into a loose black cotton mandarin collared tunic and the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She then donned olive green wide leg pants and ballet flat style shoes. She then looked through her wardrobe making a mental note to join Teyla on her next visit to New Athos to pick up some more clothes in trade for helping them with their crops. She had redressed her hair out of the strictly quaffed low bun into a side braid with the plait tail pinned the her head. If she was going to dress casually she might as enjoy the freedom of the varying hairstyles she had been taught on New Athos.

"Why?" Demming asked her.

"Because you have four of tablet computers and I would like to take one and use it" Hannah told him.

"I meant why are you dressed like that?" He asked gesturing to her. Hannah gave him a wry smile.

"What's wrong with it?" She asked him in a dry tone as he looked at her as if she were dressed in a hot pink leotard with green ribbons in her hair.

"It's just so..." he drawled trying to find the right word.

"Native?" she offered. He gave a shrug.

"I would have gone with 'Alien' but 'Native' works. So what's with the outfit?" Demming asked her. Hannah gave a closed lipped smile.

"I'm more comfortable wearing these clothes and I'm not a member of the expedition so technically I shouldn't be allowed to wear the uniform" Hannah explained to him.

"Who cares?" he asked.

"Why do you care what I wear?" Hannah asked him.

"It's just that this...it looks good but just weird seeing you like this. Figured it might have something to do with Ronon" he said.

"It has nothing to do with him and more to do with my comfort and personal style" Hannah told him, she then held out the tablet computer to him. "May I borrow this tablet?" she asked.

"Is the one with all my porn on it?" He asked her. Hannah made a face.

"I hope not" Hannah said dryly. Demming chuckled and took the computer from her.

"Just yanking your chain, let me just back everything up onto this drive and then it's all yours" he told her. Hannah followed him as he moved to his desktop computer and started working on clearing out the tablet's memory so Hannah could use it.

"Thanks" Hannah said, Demming pulled up a chair while she remained standing. She looked around the room keeping her eye on the door out of habit more than anything else as she couldn't help but expect someone to show up and demand to know why she was in Demming's lab.

"So what are you upto now?" Demming asked her as the computers did their thing.

"Nothing dangerous or bad. I want to use the tablet to study Atlantis and get my Ancient up to snuff. So if you could download some literature on the architecture and history of Atlantis itself that would be great" She told him.

"In Ancient or English?" he asked.

"Ancient, I need to become fluent again and some things lose context when they are run through McKay's babel fish" Hannah told him.

"Ok colour me curious. Why the sudden interest?" he asked her. Folding his arms across his chest and looked at her.

"I'm stuck on base 24/7 and got nothing better to do" she told him, he didn't looked convinced with her answer.

"So it has nothing to do with Wallace and Fisk and the whole Lucian alliance thing?" he asked her.

"No, I'm taking your advice and letting it go. If I was interested in that, then I'd be asking for something entirely different." Hannah informed him in a casual tone.

"Oh ok, so you're just dropping it?" he asked her incredulously.

"Apparently my position on Atlantis is relied upon me behaving. Stalking two soldiers because I suspect them of something to find proof of that. Is not behaving appropriately. So yes I'm dropping it because I want to stay here" Hannah told him, hoping he would just let it go. She shouldn't have told him anything to begin with.

"Ah so it is about Ronon" Demming said.

"Why is everybody-"

"I heard he pried you out of your tower and took you away and made you his Queen. Sounds like a fairytale girls dream of" Demming said in a dramatic fashion. Hannah made a derisive noise and rolled her eyes.

"I'm not his queen" She told him in a droll tone.

"His woman? You can tell me, did he show the special hug- Ow" Demming rubbed the back of his head when Hannah had slapped him. "I take that as a no." he said, Hannah chuckled.

"You deserved it because my relationship with Ronon is none of your business. Now are you finished?" she asked him.

"No, you've asked for a lot of information. It'll take some time to download. So why don't you pull up a chair and sit down and talk to me like I'm Cadman" Demming told her with a mischievous grin.

"That is not going to happen" she said as she did pull up the chair and sat down.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Hannah sat in the mess at a table by the balcony, she read the tablet computer with a cup of tea that was now half gone and Luke warm. She was waiting for Ronon and the others to show up before she had lunch and was using the time to read about Atlantis. Mainly the substructure of the city. Her ancient wasn't as bad as she had thought as she now had a firm grasp on the syntax and her vocabulary was growing. She of course still had many words to learn and some were just incomprehensible.

Either way it didn't stop her from her task. She needed to find the original control room to Atlantis. The first one they built before they constructed the towers and turned primary control to the current control room and gate room. It would be a smaller space as it was temporary room. Possibly turned into storage room but the beauty of the room would be that it was still connected to all of Atlantis's systems. It also meant that it hadn't been found by the expedition so they hadn't had a chance to screw around with it. Otherwise it would have been in their discoveries report.

"Mind if I join you?"

Hannah looked up to see Branton with a cup of coffee. He gestured to the chair opposite her. She would have preferred to continue reading but knew it was rude to send him away. She returned his friendly smile and gestured to the empty seat.

"Go ahead" she said putting the tablet computer into sleep mode. Branton smiled and took the seat, he gave a sigh taking in the view for a moment before looking at Hannah.

"I saw you from the coffee station. You were looking pretty intensely at that tablet. What are you reading?" He asked.

"Atlantean Literature" Hannah told him, she looked around and seeing the dinner crowd slowly come in for food as the mess was primed and ready to serve hot food. The aroma was delicious and made her want to go get some but she didn't as she was going to wait for Ronon and Branton looked like he was on a coffee break. She figured it'd be rude to leave him to grab food.

"In Ancient" Branton stated, he looked a mixture of surprised and amused.

"Practising my skills" She informed him, she saw the surprise in his eyes and wondered why everyone was surprised by everything she did even the innocuous stuff like reading the Ancient Database.

"Good story?" he asked before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Very dry stuff about the weather" she admitted. He laughed as he like everyone were still waiting to encounter something entirely frivolous or at least recreational and entertaining that the Atlantean's had made. Laura was always saying she'd love to read an Atlantean trashy romance novel, something they'd probably never find or at least Hannah kept her fingers crossed they didn't as she really didn't want to know about the Atlanteans in that regard.

"So what brought on all this?"Branton asked.

"Bored, no one needs saving and I've got nothing to do" Hannah said somewhat mockingly, he nodded sagely as if he too was in the same predicament.

"I guess I can understand that" he told her but somehow she doubted that.

"So how are you?" Hannah asked him, changing the conversation to be squarely on him.

"Good" he said.

* * *

><p>Ronon and Sheppard had spent the afternoon training in Bantos weaponry as they did almost every day. Unless they were off world or Sheppard was behind on his paperwork. Today had been a light session as Sheppard wanted to give the infirmary a break from their presence for a day or two.<p>

"So I'm going to do a supply run next week. You want in?" Sheppard asked as they walked into the mess hall. Ronon shot Sheppard a look.

"No" Ronon said as he didn't really enjoy long puddle jumper rides and missions that didn't involve either weapons or tavern visit. Sheppard knew this but it didn't stop him from offering. They went to the food line and waited for their turn.

"Well know the offer is there. Looks like Hannah's found company" Sheppard told him, Ronon looked over to where Sheppard tilted his head in direction to and saw Hannah. He frowned as she wasn't dressed in the Atlantis uniform and she had changed her hair. Immediately he knew whatever she had discussed with Sam had not been good as Hannah was reverting back into her Athosian clothing. He also frowned because Branton was sitting with her, whatever they were discussing seemed to be intellectual in nature or so Ronon assumed as Hannah looked at the man like he was an idiot while he was trying to explain something to her. It made his lips quirk into a brief smile as he was glad he wasn't the only one to receive that smile.

"We should probably pack her a tray of food" Sheppard said.

"Not a bad idea" Ronon told him as he picked up trays.

* * *

><p>"I prefer not to talk about that" Hannah said to Branton, giving him a look of displeasure as he had picked a rather personal topic as it seemed news had spread about her and Sam's meeting.<p>

"Fair enough" Branton said as he realised his faux pas. Hannah was beginning to wonder if she was going have any friends by the end of the month as it seemed like she couldn't have a conversation without a fight.

"Yeah" Hannah said as an awkwardness come between them. Luckily it didn't last long as Sheppard came up to the table with his usual smile carrying a tray of food and three bottles of water behind him was Ronon followed carrying two trays of food laden with food.

"Hey, what's going on?" Sheppard asked as he and Ronon came up to the table. He didn't miss the awkwardness in the air and in his usual style just decided to ignore it.

"Nothing much, just chatting" Hannah told him as he sat down next to Branton. Hannah moved her tablet computer off table as Ronon placed a tray of food in front of her. Mystery Chicken and mash potatoes with a smattering of green vegetables and carrots. By Mystery it meant leftovers and whatever combination of left over sauces and spices they had in cupboard. Sometimes it worked and other days not so much but hey it was food and it worked more than it failed.

"Thanks" she said to Ronon with a small smile. Appreciating the fact that he saved her joining the line up for food. He gave a nod and took a seat next to her with his own tray of food.

"About what?" Sheppard asked with eager curiosity as he was one of the few people who wasn't afraid to push Hannah's buttons, but he did have the sense to know when to stop.

"Atlantis history and unfounded rumours" Hannah told him as she took one of the bottles of water Sheppard placed on the table.

"What unfounded rumours?" Sheppard asked with interest, Hannah looked unimpressed as she unclipped her cutlery to eat her dinner and began to eat. Luckily Mystery Chicken was delicious today as Hannah needed the sustenance. She wasn't the only one who thought so as Ronon was going through his dinner fairly quickly.

"I don't want to talk about it" Hannah told him after she swallowed a mouthful of food. Sheppard looked to Branton who shook his head staying out of it.

"I'm sure it would be more entertaining than Atlantean History" Sheppard mused as he looked to Ronon wondering if he knew what it was about Ronon ate his food just watching the group as his normal want to do when he didn't have anything to add to the conversation. The fact that Ronon wasn't glaring at Sheppard to back off told Sheppard he definitely had no idea what was going on with Hannah and was just as curious.

"Still not talking about it." Hannah told him as she didn't look up from her meal, grateful to have the slight distraction of having to eat while her dinner was still hot.

"So Branton, I heard you were leaving us in month" Sheppard said changing the direction of the conversation all together. Something Hannah was entirely grateful for as she did not want to talk about the conversation she and Sam had had or the fact that it was making the rounds on the rumour mill. Actually she preferred not be the topic of conversation altogether.

"Yeah, I and my department are the first being reviewed by the IOA" Branton told him. Hannah swallowed her food and frowned.

"Really? Why?" Hannah asked as she didn't realise the expedition was under review but then when she was a member of the expedition. Well they were cut off from Earth, so they were only accountable to themselves. Obviously that had changed in the two years she had been gone.

"Basically they want to review the efficiency of my department and set a new budget. I think I may be downsized" Branton said with a frown.

"I'm sure you'll do fine" Sheppard assured him.

"Says the man who's in charge of the military on the base" Hannah scoffed. She slid a look to Ronon who was his usual quiet self, sometimes she wished she could read his mind. Their eyes connected for a moment and she gave a brief smile before turning her attention back to Branton and Sheppard. She really didn't need Sheppard getting on her and Ronon's case again.

"When do you go for your review?" Branton asked Sheppard.

"Don't have to, that's Colonel Carter's job" Sheppard told him with a smug smile.

"Lucky you" Branton mused, he looked at his watch noting the time and then smiled at them. "Now if you'll excuse my coffee break is over" he said, he drained the last of coffee and bid them a farewell before leaving them.

"So back into the Athosian clothing" Sheppard said to Hannah pointing out the obvious. Ronon had to admit he was curious to know why as well because she hadn't just changed clothes, she had changed her whole look. Not that he minded. She could walk around in whatever she liked as long as she wasn't naked. That was a view he'd prefer she keep just for his pleasure.

"Why is it such a huge thing?" Hannah asked Sheppard before she ate some mash potato.

"It's not a huge thing… more like different" Sheppard said.

"I like it" Ronon said in a nonchalant manner and he did, in fact the longer he looked at her the more he loved the fact she wasn't in the grey Atlantis expedition uniform. She looked more relaxed than she did earlier this morning all dressed up in grey. He knew how much one's identity and confidence came from the clothing they wore. It was why he never donned the Atlantis uniform besides the fact he would look ridiculous he also wanted to stand a part from the expedition. He was a member of Sheppard's team and Atlantis was now his home. But he wasn't from Earth so there was no sense in dressing like them and anyway their clothing in his opinion were uncomfortable and did not have the endurance for what he put his clothes through.

"Thank you, anyway Sheppard. You'll just have to get used to it. I handed in my old uniforms" Hannah told him.

"Why?" Sheppard asked.

"Because I'm not a member of the expedition. I shouldn't be wearing the uniform. It sends mixed messages" Hannah told him with a shrug.

"How so?" Sheppard asked, the man looked slightly pissed off as if Hannah was defected his camp or something. She gave him a wry smile.

"Relax, I'm not going anywhere nor has anyone been rude to me or said 'mom' about it. It's just that I'm not officially a member of the expedition. I'm like Teyla or Ronon. Not on the payroll but getting free food and a place to stay" Hannah said with a smile trying to keep the conversation light.

"You know Teyla and Ronon actually get paid" Sheppard told Hannah.

"I do?" Ronon asked as this was news to him.

"Yeah, of course. It's why you signed all that paperwork" Sheppard said, he assumed Weir had one of her lackey's get Teyla to fill out the paperwork to be official members of the expedition, so along with signing a waiver they got a paycheck but looking at Ronon's face it was dawning on him that this was not the case. At least with Teyla he could say it was a fair trade as the expedition helped the Athosians and vice versa but with Ronon it was a different case.

"What paperwork?" Ronon asked him as he didn't sign his name to anything and even then he still hadn't learned read or write in English. Earth's version of English. On Sateda they read and wrote in derivative of the Ancestor's language. He didn't see the point as he was never asked to submit reports and someone always told him what mission he was going on and what he needed so there was no point in learning.

"You mean you've been here for over two years and never gotten paid?" Sheppard asked him.

"What am I going to get for pieces of paper?" Ronon asked as he had seen Earth currency when they went to Beckett's funeral. Sheppard made a face as he wasn't sure how to answer.

"Well" he drawled buying time to come up with an answer.

"Nothing here in the Pegasus Galaxy but once you save up enough money you can have it transferred into currency used in this galaxy" Hannah said saving Sheppard the trouble.

"Like?" Ronon asked, he looked around the restaurant briefly and saw Fisk and Wallace sitting at a table a far side of the mess. They looked directly at them. They had stones to do so considering what Hannah had told them or they were incredibly stupid. He was going for the latter.

"Gem stones that are cheap on Earth but rare here. It could get you a nice leather jacket, or more weaponry" Hannah suggested to Ronon. He slid a look her way and he knew she saw them but decided to not bring it up due to Sheppard sitting across them. Ronon looked over at the men again to notice they had stopped staring. They were going to be trouble.

"Not a bad idea. I guess" Ronon mused, though he saw it as more of a hassle than anything else as he already had a jacket and enough weapons to keep him happy. Not to mention a roof over his head and three meals a day, now Hannah was here there wasn't much else he wanted... well there were some things but given time he'd get them and he wouldn't need paper to get them.

"Something to think about. So what have you guys been up to?" she asked them, changing the topic altogether.

"Nothing, just the usual" Sheppard said.

* * *

><p>Later that evening,<p>

They laid in his bed with Hannah tucked at his side, he kept thinking about her current situation of staying of Colonel Carter's radar and away from Fisk and Wallace. He'd seen the way those two men looked at her when they arrived in the mess. They looked like they wanted blood. Obviously whatever she had done to their Lucian Alliance brothers and her cocky attitude had only fuelled their desire for a fight.

Hell, he'd give it to them and pummel them in to the floor but Hannah didn't want him to involve himself in the oncoming fray. He out of respect would honour the request. To a certain limit of course or when Hannah asked him to help her but for now he would make sure he was always near her and train her harder in sparring and run more. That way she would be in peak physical condition and ready when he had to go off world leaving her alone.

He knew she could take care of herself but he knew she could be better, she could fight stronger and be more disciplined in her training which would help her get out the negative energy she had stored inside her. Hell, it might get her focus more on watching what she was doing and saying so she didn't end up placing herself in the same position again.

"Tell me about Sateda" Hannah said, she broke through the reverie of Ronon's thoughts.

"What?" Ronon asked her not sure he heard her correctly.

"Tell me about Sateda, what it was like there, your family, growing up all that stuff" Hannah said to him, she kept her head on his shoulder but he knew she could hear his heart pounding at the question. No one talked to him or ever asked him Sateda. Well, that was a lie Sheppard asked once or twice and Ronon would share a random story about his old commanders or his childhood but those times were very few and far between the amount of stories the others shared.

"It would take too long" he told her deciding to answer the question obtusely. It wasn't that he hadn't expected her not to ask at some point it was that he was sorely unprepared with how he was supposed answer the question. Hannah of course chuckled, not understanding the dilemma running through his head but taking what he said at face value.

"You don't have to tell me everything tonight" she told him, he couldn't help but smile in the dark.

"I wouldn't know where to start" he admitted truthfully, he did want to share with her but how does one talk about a way of life that was taken away from them. The people one lost after thinking for 7 years they were still alive when they had in fact been obliterated.

"Why don't you start with what your people were like, their traditions, you can tell me anything. It doesn't have to deeply personal, I'm not asking you bare your soul to me" she assured him as she snuggled closer to his body.

"If I do will you tell me about your life?" he asked as he did want her to bare her soul to him.

"Which one?" she half joked.

"All of them" he said in all seriousness, he felt Hannah stiffen slightly in his arms and realised that he had touched a sensitive nerve but the fact she didn't withdraw from him showed the trust she had in him.

"I guess it's lucky we're so young because I'm sure it'll take me a lifetime to tell you about them all" Hannah drawled in a joking manner.

"You think we'll be together that long?" he asked her, he couldn't help but want to live her idealistic world where people had children and lived to a ripe old age and the idea of doing that with her was something that made him ache with awareness that one or both of them would likely die before the first of their hair turned grey. They lived too dangerously to think otherwise. Pain and grief two things he'd rather live without but he no longer wanted to live without happiness and intimacy of being surrounded by people he loved.

"I hope so, I did come back from the dead for you. So no pressure or anything" she teased. Ronon laughed and shook his head at her humour. Silence lapsed between them as he didn't really know what to tell her about Sateda.

If he were honest he tried not to think about it. It was the past, it couldn't changed and majority of it he wanted to forget. Yet it made up a huge part of who he was as the one thing he held onto as a Runner was that he was a survivor, what gave him his strength was that he was a Satedan to lie down in defeat and give up without fighting would have been an insult to his ancestors and his people.

He vaguely explained what his people were like; how they were strong and proud people, with many traditions and a strict code of honour. Even though at the end when everything fell apart he felt like he was the only one left who still believed in the tenets of his people or still valued them unlike the others. His world was dead, the life he had once known and the people were also long dead and gone.

Those who remained had either become drunken carousers or disappeared completely leaving their identities as Satedans behind. He couldn't find the mythical 300 survivors Solan Sincha spoke of. If he were honest he didn't want to find them as he preferred the illusion than whatever the reality was.

So he told Hannah the best aspects of his culture, it was funny that once he started talking how easily it all flowed from him. He'd never spoken so much in the past 9 years as was doing so right now but then somehow it was easier to talk in the dark without anyone looking at him directly.

Hannah rested her head on his shoulder and listened to Ronon, he told her of his planet; how once had been compared to how it was. He told her briefly about his culture how they believed deeply in honouring their ancestors who came before them, honouring the soldiers that had fallen in battle and treasuring those in your life as it was incredibly short.

For a man who once told her that his race wasn't militarised, it certainly sounded like it as a good proportion of the population were soldiers. In short to Hannah; his race sounded like an amalgamation of the early Māori and Japanese cultures before the turn of the 18th century on Earth.

"That's how my people were but they are gone" he finished, a sadness permeated his spirit as he truly missed his home world and his family. He never really gave himself time to grieve it. He just pushed it aside and kept moving, the grief had slowly turned to anger, to rage which in the end was the only thing that kept him alive in those seven years as a runner. But right now he wasn't ready to share that with her.

"All of them?" Hannah asked him.

"No, there are a few survivors" he told her.

"But?" she asked.

"They aren't how I remember them" he said, Solan Sincha was more of a drunkard who just sat in a pub sharing his old war stories than really living in Ronon's opinion. Solan didn't seem to care about preserving the Satedan way of life so he seriously doubted the others would. He still remembered Kell and murdering him before his own guard. How they hadn't turned on the old man for his betrayal of their people had disgusted him. They were not his people so he seriously doubted the others would live up to his expectations.

"You were a runner for 7 years. I know from experience that you try to remember the best of your life just so that you keep going and forget the rest" Hannah told him.

"I guess so" Ronon said wishing it was true but feeling like maybe he was the one who had been too idealistic in what it meant to be Satedan.

"So, did you come up with a plan?" He asked not wanting to think about his time as a runner or his people anymore. It never helped to think about the past and right now he didn't want to go to sleep thinking about them either.

"Plan for what?" she asked him, he wasn't sure if she was being obtuse of not.

"How you're going to get Wallace and Fisk. I saw how they were looking at you through dinner" he told her, she tensed up again and he wished she would just let him step in and fix it for her but reminded himself that she wouldn't let him. It seemed to be a matter of pride or so he was assumed.

"Yeah, I didn't miss it" Hannah said, he shifted his body down the bed and turned onto his side so he was facing her. He pulled her right leg over his hip and ran the palm of his hand up her thigh and back down enjoying the warmth and feel of her skin against his. She shifted closer to him and he felt her lift the necklaces from his neck and start to fiddle with them.

"They're going to come at you. They got that look" he told her. In the faint light of the moons he could just make out her features. She looked down at his necklaces not making eye contact.

"I know, I have a month to figure out what they are up to and remove them in such a way that I won't be connected to it" Hannah told him before looking up at his face.

"I could-" he was about to offer to step in but she shook her head and cut him off.

"No, I don't want this blowing back on you. Atlantis is your home" Hannah told him and now he knew it was pride and also because she wanted to protect him. To save him from being tossed off Atlantis or being tossed into the Brig. There never really any law laid down on him if he killed a member of the expedition but then he never had the provocation to do so until now.

"No my home is in the Pegasus Galaxy wherever you are" he told her, she gave a saddened smile like she didn't entirely believe him but would placate him. In his mind it was a messed up mindset to have. He cupped the sides of her face with his hands. "Look at me" he ordered her. He repeated the order again until Hannah looked at him.

"Do you know how many of people came back for me?" he asked her, she opened her mouth to answer but he spoke first. "None, they heard stories of me being a runner and not one of them tried to help me, no one helped me. Not until Sheppard, not until you. You think that means nothing to me?" he asked her, his anger boiling within him as he hated being doubted or lumped in with the others who had failed her before.

"No" she replied.

"Then get it out of your head that one day I'm going to chose someone or something over you" he told her.

"But one day you will" She told him, there was a fierceness in her tone that said she had been in the situation before and knew what was going to happen.

"I won't" he told her firmly. He wanted to take her under him and make her entirely his. Make her understand that he wasn't walking away. He was going to take the bad with the good. In Hannah's case there seemed a lot more of bad than good but given the world she lived in it. Obviously he was going to have to keep repeating himself in regards to where she stood with him and he knew she would mistake any form of intimacy for him distraction her from a truth she had formed in her head. Not a declaration of what was between them or his emotions.

"One day you'll believe me" he told her.

"I hope so. I really do" Hannah whispered to him. He tried not to take offence from her lack of faith as he knew only time would help him on that front so for now he changed the topic to somewhat less rockier ground.

"Tell me why I can't kill Fisk and Wallace." he told her, he gave her a smile to know he was half joking but really he was dead serious. He would kill them as he wasn't going to let two stupid soldiers get between him and Hannah. She gave her own smile and shook her head at him.

"Because this is where deception is required not brute force but I appreciate the offer. What I need to do is get a better look of the lower levels" She told him. He quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Anywhere in particular? We could add it into our morning runs" he suggested. He watched her face light up and felt a zing of pleasure knowing he was able to help her and make her smile.

"Yeah? I need to find original control room to Atlantis" Hannah told him.

"Why?" he asked as he moved his hands down her body. He wished she wasn't wearing her underwear and a tank top as he rather feel her skin pressed against his. One day he told him as she pressed herself against him.

"So I can use the city sensors to track unusual pattern movements. They are going to store whatever they are stealing in areas of the city that aren't being used or at least meeting in places where they won't be overheard" Hannah said, it made sense to him but her plan didn't really grab him as something that would be successful.

"Wouldn't they just go into the damaged areas of the city?" he asked poking a serious hole in her plan.

"Possibly, but if I can fix or replace those damaged sensors" Hannah drawled then it was a foregone conclusion that Hannah would be able spy surreptitiously on Fisk and Wallace. It would also take a lot of time to make the plan to work. Longer than a month and given how much happened around Atlantis it was unrealistic to believe she could do it but Ronon held his tongue.

"You know how to do that? Repair the sensors?" he asked her hoping through subtle suggestions he can make her see how the plan had holes in it.

"I can try, it's not going to be easy but we could rule out the damaged areas by doing a run by" Hannah said with a hopeful look on her face. She obviously thought it was a workable plan and so he'd help her as much as he could even if it was just watching her back and maybe a little intimidation. He wondered how many bones he could break in Fisk and Wallace's body to send them back to Earth and make it seem like an accident.

"We can but we're also going to start training you harder. I have to go off world at some point which means you'll be on your own" he told her.

"I know how fight" Hannah told him, she nipped the skin on his collarbone with her teeth. It was meant to annoy him but instead it just aroused him, she was definitely going to test his control.

"Then I'll train you to be the best" he said as he moved his hands to her ass and gripped her hips against his. She gave a groan of pleasure as she wanted nothing more than to get naked with him and take him inside her body but she couldn't find the guts to verbalise her desire.

"I'm already the best" she told him.

"Still haven't gotten me on my back yet" he told her.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

A week and half later,

Sheppard, Teyla, McKay and Keller all sat at a table in the mess hall having a morning tea break. It was rare for them to do but it was a quiet day. At least for them as they all watched Hannah and Ronon. They two had been in the mess before them finishing off a late breakfast and what Sheppard like to call Hannah's rub down. He'd already earned a kick in the shin for making a 'my little pony' comment.

But looking at Hannah and Ronon who had some nice bruises, he couldn't help but feel he got off light with Larrin and his experiences with the Travellers as he swore he saw a new bruise on Hannah and Ronon every day. It was one thing to have a lady beat you up but man she liked. Oh yeah Larrin had it bad for him, he knew she'd call him eventually but these two were punishing one another. He was really starting to get worried. He wasn't the only one who was concerned as Keller and Sam had both made comments to him about it.

"Massaging that welt is only going to do more damage" Keller informed Ronon who was currently massaging a welt on Hannah's upper arm. The two seemed to have gone on some weird training bent for the past week and half that had not gone unnoticed by those on the base. Actually it was something they were all talking about and wondering about.

Half of them were just surprised that Ronon was in a relationship as he hadn't shown any sexual interest to anyone on the base since his arrival. Sure there had brief rumours but most were not believed. The other half were just plain curious as to what the hell the two were up to as they all assumed that the two weren't having sex as they were always being seen around Atlantis and looking incredibly serious as if on some kind of mission. The only places they disappeared into were the lower levels and it seemed unlikely that they would feel the need to hide down there for a romp when they could do it in the comfort of one of their rooms.

Either way when Ronon wasn't off world with Sheppard and his team on a mission the two were either running around the base or practised hand to hand contact or worse in Keller's opinion; practising Bantos sticks. She wished she could be paid a dollar for every stitch and ice bag she had given the two for the past week as a result of them being a little too violent in their sparring. It was like they were training for war.

Now she like the others at the table watched the two with morbid fascination as Ronon gently massaged the welts on Hannah's arms. Well, except for Teyla. She was the only one who acted like it was completely normal practise and it probably was to her people and Ronon's but then their knowledge of medical science was severely limited in Keller's opinion.

"It to disperse the blood and increase blood circulation to promote healing" Ronon told her which only proved Keller's assumption of the level of medical science the Satedans had attained. She was sometimes surprised that Ronon didn't just cauterise his wounds instead of going to the infirmary but figured there was no where he could start a fire hot enough to do so. Such thoughts made her feel like a bitch but she couldn't help it when he and Hannah acted with such reckless abandon.

"It's also causes more tissue damage" Keller informed him. Ronon shot her a look that said he didn't believe her. A common look she got from many of the locals of the Pegasus Galaxy when she suggested their home remedies weren't the bee knees. Sheppard knowing her pain gave her a sympathetic look.

"Doc, let it go. They only hurting each other and fighting so dangerously because they're not having se-Ow!" Sheppard groaned in pain and shot Hannah a dark look as she gave a mockingly innocent smile. Everyone at the table looked to Sheppard who leaned down in his chair to rub his shin.

"Sorry my foot slipped" Hannah told him in a mockingly innocent manner before she glared at him. Her cheeks had turned a lovely shade of pink and Ronon decided that Hannah's arm needed his full attention as he kept silent.

"It's no secret. Just get it out of your systems before one of you breaks a bone and tell me what the hell are you two doing running around the bowels of the city" Sheppard said to her.

"Get what out of their system?" McKay asked curiously. It was funny how out of everything Sheppard had just said McKay picked up on the one thing that wouldn't have interested him.

"Keep eating McKay" Hannah snapped at him as the man had been half reading his plex, eating his food and listening to the others.

"But I- Oh" McKay's eyes went wide as he realised what they were talking about. "Really? What is wrong with you?" he asked them incredulously. Hannah wondered why everyone felt the need to stick their nose in Ronon and her relationship.

"It's that time of the month" Hannah told McKay in a dry tone. McKay made a noise of disgust and a face to match it as he dropped the fork he was holding and pushed his tray away from him. Apparently there were some things that made McKay lose his appetite.

Ronon tried not to laugh as she wasn't lying, she was halfway through her 'womanly time' as Hannah liked to refer to it and hell he found it cute how mortified she was over sharing such information with him. Yet here she was practically announcing it to the whole table, he was now just waiting for her to complain that uterus hated her and that would kill any control Ronon had left that stopped him from laughing out loud.

"Thank you so much for over sharing" McKay told her, still making a face of disgust. Ronon looked to Sheppard and saw the man had turned slightly pink faced with embarrassment while the women looked amused. Sometimes he forgot how uptight people from Earth were when it came to things that come naturally for the human body.

"Blame Sheppard for bringing it up" Hannah told him, Teyla hid her smile as she looked down at her cup of tea. She was about to change the topic to safer ground when Ronon spoke.

"Not that it's anyone's business but Hannah is respecting the Satedan ethos" Ronon told them all, as he slowly ran the palm of his hand down her arm. He knew no one would comment or mock his words as they didn't want to insult his people or upset him. They all looked at him stunned while Hannah looked to him with a smile for taking some of the attention off her.

"Well, I for one think that is quite admirable of you both to preserve the traditions of the Satedans and I also agree it is none of our business how Hannah and Ronon conduct their relationship nor is it couth to bring it up in such a public area" Teyla said to the table but giving Sheppard and McKay a chastising look.

"They're both practically black and blue from all their training. I'm concerned for their general well being but now I know certain" Sheppard stopped and cleared his throat gesturing to Hannah in a very awkward manner "Things are happening which explain the odd behaviour. I feel slightly better" he finished but Sheppard looked anything but better, in fact he looked distinctly uncomfortable which only amused them all the more except for Hannah narrowed her eyes at him and gave him a 'what the fuck are you on?' look.

"Well I for one would have preferred not to have been enlightened but it does explain Hannah's foul moods" McKay said as he rose from his chair.

"I'm so glad" Hannah replied dryly.

"We should probably all mark it on the calender for the next month like a warning" McKay suggested in a mocking manner like he was being helpful and funny at the same time.

"How about I-" Hannah started but stopped as Ronon pressed his fingers into welt on her forearm. Her attention turned back to Ronon and in that moment he wished he could kiss her senseless to calm her down and distract her as she was really getting riled up by Sheppard and McKay. Hell, he just wanted to kiss her but considering he had never seen anyone on Atlantis openly display affection or their emotions in the way he wanted to he felt it was best to refrain. He didn't want to get them into trouble. So he took advantage of what he could and massaging her arm while not exactly the most affectionate thing to do did allow him to touch her and have his hands on her body without anyone complaining.

"Hey, where you going?" Sheppard asked McKay.

"Ah Katie and the others have returned from the mainland" McKay said a little nervously as he was making him a target to be teased.

"Say hi for us" Sheppard said teasingly to McKay. The scientist rolled his eyes and picked up his tray and computer before walking away from them. Sheppard turned his attention back to Ronon and Hannah knowing it wasn't fair on them to tease them but not able to stop himself as it was incredible adorable to have two of the scariest people he know be all soft and romantic. Though he was learning their idea of romantic didn't prescribe to the Hallmark channel.

"I should probably go too" Keller said abruptly rising from her chair. The others gave their nods and watched as the young doctor left. Teyla and Hannah shared a look of knowing as it was only a couple of days ago Keller had made a comment to them about McKay that made Hannah believe the woman might have a crush on McKay. If she did then it probably explained why she was sitting with the more and also why whenever McKay left she made her excuses to go back to the lab. Hannah had talked to Teyla somewhat briefly about it and the Athosian murmur her agreement with Hannah's assumption. But they remained silent on the matter as there was no point in making a big deal out of it other than keep an eye on Keller.

Hannah looked to Sheppard and pointed at him with her free hand. "Sheppard, drop it or I will kick in a place more precious to you than your shins" She warned him in a serious tone.

"I didn't say anything" Sheppard said defensively.

"I can hear the tiny cogs in your brain turning" Hannah told him in a scathing tone.

"Relax, I didn't realise it was a Satedan thing in combination with a womanly thing" Sheppard said, Teyla closed her eyes and shook her head as it was possibly the worst thing Sheppard could have said.

"You thought it was a 'Hannah being frigid' thing?" Hannah asked, Sheppard frowned and looked to Ronon who gave him 'you're on your own' look.

"I've really dug myself into a hole here" Sheppard said to Hannah.

"Yep" Hannah told him and this was the part where Ronon did not understand Hannah or Sheppard.

"Anyway I can save myself?" He asked her, Hannah pursed her lips for a moment.

"It looks like ritual suicide is your only option left" She dead panned. Sheppard would say something without even thinking about how it insulted Hannah. She would get annoyed and maybe a little violent, they'd banter and she'd suggest he kill himself in some fashion. He'd look awkward and mockingly plan a time and date to do so as he was about to now and then the topic would change. It would over like it was all forgiven. He could only believe it was some Earth custom and a very weird one at that.

"Right-" Sheppard started to drawl when the P.A. system activated.

_"Colonel Sheppard report to the Control Room immediately" _Chuck's voice said over the P.A., he repeated it again.

"Ah saved by the P.A." Hannah said to Sheppard.

"I'm blessed" Sheppard said, he rose from his chair and rushed out of the mess leaving just Teyla, Ronon and Hannah at the table. Teyla looked somewhat relieved that Sheppard had departed but then she like Ronon sometimes mistook Hannah and Sheppard's banter to be serious.

"So are you two going to tell me why you have been training so vigorously?" Teyla asked them, she noticed that Ronon had slowly stopped massaging the welts on Hannah's arm and was now surreptitiously holding the woman's hand under the table. She found it rather heart warming to see two people she care about find a sense of peace from their own company together.

"No" Ronon told her.

"Very well" Teyla said letting the subject drop as she knew better than to pry.

"So Teyla, when will you be visiting New Athos next?" Hannah asked her.

"I'm hoping to go to the Tandul feast which is 9 days from now. If you wish to join me, I know my people would be glad to see you again" Teyla told her, Hannah gave a soft smile at the thought of getting away from Atlantis for a couple days. Even though she hadn't been back on base for long she was would like a day off from the intensity of her and Ronon's training and her other extracurricular activities.

"Yeah that sounds great. I'll have to ask Sam if I'm allowed off base" Hannah told her, she wondered if she would be able to catch Sam in a good mood. They had crossed paths a couple of times in the past week. While it had been polite it had been rather strained. It couldn't helped and Hannah felt only time would ease things.

"Of course" Teyla said.

"I hope I can come though, it'd be nice to go off world" Hannah told her.

"If you cannot make the Tandul Feast then perhaps you might be able to join Ronon and I when we go to Belkin to negotiate trade for my people. Ronon could introduce you to Solan Sincha" Teyla told her, Hannah looked to Ronon.

"Who is Solan Sincha?" She asked curiously, it was the first time she had heard the name.

"He's someone I used to serve with, one of the few survivors" Ronon said, something about his tone told her it was a sensitive subject. Hell anything related to Sateda and his past life was a touchy subject. Something she learned was easier to ask him in the dead of night about than right now as she was far more likely to get an answer from him. She also knew like herself, it was difficult to talk about one's past so she didn't get on his case about not being more open. It was one of those pot calling the kettle black things.

"Well, its all contingent on if I'm allowed to go off world but I appreciate the offer" Hannah said to Teyla with a soft smile on her lips.

* * *

><p>A couple of hours later,<p>

"Hannah, did we have an appointment?" Sam asked looking up from the tablet computer on her desk when Hannah knocked on the door.

"No, I was hoping for just a moment or I could make an appointment" Hannah said, Sheppard had pulled Ronon and Teyla away for some business related to Atlantis. She didn't bother asking what it was as she was so far outside of the loop on Atlantis business she might as well be in another galaxy. So she busied herself with her own work of repairing some broken sensors in the city's lower levels. She was surprised at how easy it was fix the sensors especially when she and Ronon had found an engineer's bay in the substructure levels of the south east piers.

Actually they had found a lot rooms and equipment left behind by the ancients in the substructures of the city but then thanks to Hannah's long hours of delving into Atlantis' records they had good idea of where most things were before they searched them out. They also took many precautions, well Hannah took the precautions to not turn anything on until she was absolutely certain of what it was. Ronon in all his patience stood back and held the torch light for her. For all the things they had found they still hadn't found the original control room. Hannah had a sinking feeling it was completely submerged but then the records on Atlantis weren't exactly user friendly.

"No, come in. I just feel like I'm forgetting something today. What's up?" Sam asked as she sat back in her chair taking a break from her work to give her full attention to Hannah. Their conversations were so few and far between that Sam tried to make the most of them to mend the rift between them whilst maintaining her professional distance. It was kind of like walking a tightrope carrying a wild monkey; incredibly difficult. Hannah took one of the guest chairs and Sam couldn't help but miss the times Hannah used to wear her BDU's and her slicked back into low bun in true military comportment.

Nowadays she looked more like an Athosian maybe more Satedan as she dressed in their style of clothing and she was even picking up Ronon's posture and some of his mannerisms. It was a shame that Hannah's friendly personality didn't rub off on Ronon as the man was hard to read and still intimidating as hell. Maybe time would soften up the man but Sam didn't want to speculate on when that would happen.

"I was wondering if I could have permission to go to New Athos with Teyla for the Tandul Feast next week. It would just be a couple of days" Hannah said. Sam looked down for a moment giving Hannah's request some thought. It was one of those grey area issues they had but then Hannah didn't have an integral place in the day to day function of the city. So it wasn't a rostering issue but she wasn't ready to let Hannah go. If she left the base then Sam couldn't keep an eye on her but she had to at some point give Hannah some freedom and then there was the fact that Hannah had been behaving with exception of her and Ronon's odd running schedule.

"I see no issues with that. Sure" Sam said deciding it was best to let Hannah go than start unnecessary trouble. She watched as Hannah's face lit up, she obviously thought Sam was going to say 'no'.

"Thank you" Hannah said genuinely.

"Anything else?" Sam asked her.

"No" Hannah said smiling as she couldn't believe she was going to be allowed off world. So she was definitely not going to push her luck.

"So how are you?" Sam asked. Hannah tensed at the question.

"You asking me as the Commander of the base or as yourself?" Hannah asked her, the way Hannah looked at Sam made her feel like she were an IOA spy or something for asking a common question.

"Myself" Sam stated. Hannah relaxed somewhat.

"Good, I'm really good" she answered honestly even though she was still feeling somewhat suspicious.

"I heard you and Ronon have been running around the substructures of Atlantis" Sam said, Hannah gave a closed lip smile.

"Just keeping the scenery fresh while running. Don't worry, we're staying out of the damaged areas. I have no desire to go swimming" Hannah assured her, she gave a bit of a chuckle as she had no desire to test the cold water. But then again at the rate she and Ronon were going with their abstinence she could see herself jumping into the frigid water to cool herself off. She was starting think the putting off sex was starting to become a game of chicken between them.

"I would hope not, that water is not made for swimming in" Sam said with amusement.

"Yeah and I'm not entirely sure if Ronon knows how to swim" Hannah said with a shrug. It was funny how she still didn't know a lot about him yet they spent so much time together but didn't think too deeply on it as she had many years to get to know him. It was one of the strange parts of de-ascending, she no longer had a function or mission to adhere to. No higher power telling her what to do or even guiding her. She was now just living her life. Something after all these months still felt foreign to her.

"I'm sure he's capable" Sam said paying the Satedan what sounded like a slightly backhanded compliment. Hannah smiled knowing it was probably hard for Sam to see her being close with Ronon. She probably saw it as history repeating itself like Ronon would end up dying like Jason but in some new horrific Pegasus galaxy fashion.

Hannah tried not to think about the happening as she knew Jason's death had turned her dark. If Ronon died she was pretty sure whatever humanity she had left would evaporate and she would pick up his mantle of destroying Wraith with whatever means necessary. Just the thought of what she would become turned her numb but didn't surprise her. Her time as an ascended being had taught her that there really wasn't much of a difference between her and Adria except for the fact that they stood on opposite sides of one opinion.

"Yeah, I guess so but for Sheppard's sake I won't test the theory" Hannah joked. A knock sounded at the door and the women to see Major Lorne.

"Ma'am, you called" Lorne said addressing Sam.

"Major, did your test results come back?" Sam asked, suddenly it was like Hannah didn't exist. Hannah looked down at her hands and tried not to be offended by the disregard as she wasn't truly a member of the expedition. She now knew from the past weeks what the Athosians must have felt like when they lived on Atlantis. At least she had something to keep her occupied unlike the Athosians who hadn't been able to contribute much until they removed themselves to the Mainland and now their own planet.

"Yes, it was positive but I'm not the only one" Lorne said both of them took a moment to process what it meant. Hannah's head snapped up as she wondered what the hell they were talking about.

"Positive for what?" Hannah asked confused. Lorne looked to Sam and then Hannah, if she didn't know any better he looked outraged for a moment before his usual professional demeanour fell into place again.

"You don't know?" Lorne asked Hannah.

"Know what?" Hannah asked looking to Lorne and then to Sam.

"There's an outbreak in the city. Sheppard's currently converting the Mess Hall to hold for the overflow from the infirmary" Sam informed her. It seemed like it was a real hassle for Sam to do so.

"Outbreak of what?" Hannah asked.

"Don't know yet, Keller's looking into it" Lorne told her.

"The first symptoms of the disease are flu like symptoms; headaches, dizziness and fever. Have you been experiencing any of those symptoms?" Sam directly asked Lorne, the major gave a slight tilt of his head as if saying 'yes' and accepting his fate at the same time.

"Got a headache but I think it's more of a side effect from the stims Keller's given us than anything else. What about you O'Neill?" Lorne said to Hannah.

"I feel great" Hannah told them, and she wasn't lying either. She felt perfectly healthy.

"You've been around the main population?" Sam asked, Hannah nodded lying outright but then she wasn't going admit where she had been. It would mean answering questions and possibly getting into trouble. Something Hannah was trying to avoid. Lorne and Sam exchanged looks.

"Perhaps your time as an ascended being changed you more than we first suspected" Sam said looking at Hannah curiously.

"Possibly, but I did catch a cold when I first came here. So I doubt I'm super human" Hannah told her as she didn't need nor want to be labelled as 'special' ever again. Ok, that was a lie she only wanted to be labelled 'special' by Ronon but she sure as hell wasn't going to admit that much to anyone.

"Or this disease a local bug from the Pegasus Galaxy. Teyla and Ronon seemed to be unaffected and Hannah's time with Athosians gave her a natural immunity to whatever this is" Lorne suggested, Hannah could have kissed the man for coming up with that theory.

"Could be, we won't rule it out. Hannah I would like you to submit for blood testing if you haven't already been tested" Sam said to her. Hannah nodded and rose from her chair.

"I'll go now" Hannah said.

"I'll escort you down" Lorne told Hannah told her.

* * *

><p>Ronon helped Sheppard carry a medical bed into the Mess Hall where people are converting it into a ward for the past couple of hours. Ronon didn't want to think about what Hannah was doing or worse if she had succumb to the illness sweeping through the colony.<p>

"I thought the city had some sort of automatic lock down to prevent stuff like this." Ronon said to Sheppard as they were discussing the outbreak. Many of the expedition were falling ill and it was central to one location. People were falling ill in every section of the city.

"It does." Sheppard told him.

"Oh yeah? What happened?" Ronon asked as he like many people wondered why the city didn't go into lock down.

"What, you're asking me?" Sheppard asked incredulously, they dropped the bed down in the empty space and Ronon watched as Sheppard grimaced in pain. He knew it was only a matter of time that they'd all fall victim to the disease as McKay was infected but Ronon had hoped it would bypass Sheppard. But it hadn't and Sheppard grabbed his forehead as if trying to soothe his pain.

"You got a headache?" Ronon asked him.

"Yeah. I guess it was just a matter of time." Sheppard said grimacing in pain. Teyla noting his expression walked over to them.

"John?" Teyla asked concerned for Sheppard.

"I'm fine." he assured her and walked away not wanting her or Ronon to see him cave to the illness. Ronon sat down on the bed and Sheppard had just placed and saw the deep concern on Teyla's face as she watched Sheppard.

"Hey. How're you feeling?" Ronon asked her.

"I am fine." Teyla said.

"Any symptoms?" he asked her, he looked around the room as did Teyla at those around them. All of the people in the room were displaying symptoms of the outbreak bar them it seemed. She shook her head.

"No. None yet." Teyla informed him.

"Me neither." he said, he frowned and Teyla looked at him.

"What is it?" she asked.

"How do they know we're all infected? My blood wasn't part of the sample that was tested." Ronon said to her.

"Nor was mine. Even so, it is likely we were exposed." She told him wondering what he was thinking.

"So what? Being exposed doesn't mean you've got it. Maybe it doesn't affect everybody the same way. All I know is I feel great." Ronon told her.

"So do I. Perhaps you should make Doctor Keller aware of this." Teyla told him, Ronon gave a nod.

"Yeah. OK." he said he rose from the bed and left the infirmary. Making plans, he go to Keller first and then find Hannah and make sure she was fine.

* * *

><p>Hannah and Lorne walked into the infirmary just as Keller finished taking Ronon's blood. She took the samples and snapped off her gloves and told him to keep his elbow folded for a minute while she went to go get a bandaid but as soon as he saw Hannah he didn't care to wait.<p>

"Hey" Ronon said to Hannah, he hopped off the stool he had been sitting and walked over to her. "You ok?" he asked, before Hannah could reply he placed his hands on her face feeling her temperature. Not caring that the others were watching them.

"I'm fine, are you?" Hannah asked him. She couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed but touched by his concern. She should be used to it but unlike her relationship with Jason where everything was under the radar most of the time. Ronon was the complete opposite.

It wasn't like he laid her out on the table and had his way with her in the mess and there weren't any make out sessions with an audience much to Hannah's relief but he did over the past week and half was a little more open with her. He made certain gestures that showed a sense of possessiveness like having his arm across the back of seat while in the mess hall when they stayed to chat with the others or brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Or like right now.

"I feel great. I was worried about you" he told her. She gave a small closed lip smile. Ronon felt her forehead again checking her temperature again, not that she was burning with fever but she was getting a little hot under the collar for other reasons. She looked him in the eyes and she wondered if he could read every deliciously indecent and inappropriately timed thoughts. There was an outbreak and she was thinking about having Sex, yeah her priorities were definitely not in the right place right now.

"I'm fine. Colonel Carter believes I may have a natural immunity to whatever is going around" She told him.

"Keller thinks the same, she's testing my blood." Ronon told Hannah.

"I'll also take a sample of your blood" Keller said. Ronon stepped away from Hannah and allowed the women the space so Keller could do her job. Lorne gave him an amused look in which Ronon shot him a icy look that made him drop his smile and don a more professional expression.

Ronon smirked as he still had the power to intimidate a man with just one look. He might be with Hannah but he wasn't going to have anyone think he was weak kneed when he found being with Hannah made him stronger than he thought possible but then they were training harder than he had since his runner days.


	37. Chapter 37

_A/N: Science and medical stuff complete B.S. ... please just let it slide_

* * *

><p>Chapter 37<p>

"Hey, you called me?" Hannah asked coming into Sam's office, she stopped at the doorway and stood next to McKay as she noted how the room was already full. Sheppard and Ronon took up the guest chairs with Teyla standing in the room. Sam had her hip leaned against her desk while Keller stood by large screen on the wall near Sam's desk.

"Yes, I wanted you here." Sam said to her, she turned her attention to Keller "Doctor Keller if you would" she said handing Keller the room's attention.

"Ok this is what I wanted to show you all." Keller said bringing up a picture on the large screen. Hannah couldn't help but notice how Sam, Keller, McKay and Sheppard were all displaying signs of the outbreak. The sheen of sweat covering their pale faces and the slightly vacant look in their eyes as they aren't entirely sure of who they are or what they are doing.

"This is the bacteria that is causing our disease?" Teyla asked Keller.

"Not exactly, but it's very similar." Keller said a little flustered at Teyla's direct nature. It couldn't be helped as she, Ronon and Hannah were the only one's unaffected. They needed to know as much as they could before the others were too far gone to help.

"And you found this in the database?" Sam asked Keller.

"I stopped looking in the database. I knew there was a reason why Teyla, Hannah and Ronon are the only people who've tested negative so far. We don't have a lot of information on the Satedans so I started looking through Doctor Beckett's records on the Athosians." Keller said pointing to the screen. "This is a blood sample taken from a ten year old boy. He was suffering from something called, um ... er ... I wrote it down ..." she mumbled looking around to find the piece of paper.

"Kirsan fever?" Teyla asked. Hannah frowned as she had heard about the sickness but she never actually saw it in action.

"Yeah, that's it." Keller told her, she looked relieved at not having to find the piece of paper or maybe because it saved her from trying to find the answer again.

"It is a common childhood ailment throughout the galaxy. I had it when I was eight." Teyla said she frowned in confusion.

"I had it when I was ten." Ronon said suddenly all eyes were on Hannah as she hadn't had it as a kid nor as an adult.

"De-ascended, I must have been given the antibodies for it to survive in the Pegasus Galaxy" Hannah offered as they all wondered why she was fine. She was beginning to sound like a broken record as it wasn't the first time she had explained to someone why she wasn't ill.

"But this cannot be the same disease. Kirsan fever does not affect adults, nor does it cause memory loss." Teyla said.

"Well, that may be true but the structure of the bacteria is too similar to ignore. They have to be related somehow." Keller said, she spoke in such a vague manner that is concerned Hannah. It wasn't that she didn't trust her assessment of the situation but a concern for the woman herself. Hannah already knew two people had died and Keller had been exposed a lot longer than the rest of them.

McKay clicked his fingers several times garnering their attention, his eyes lit up as if an idea had just come to him.

"Wait a minute. Maybe they _are_ the same. That would explain why the sensors didn't identify it as a threat." McKay said trying to explain why the city hadn't gone into lock down.

"How is that possible?" Teyla asked.

"Well, think about it. I mean, this planet didn't have a Stargate until we came here. Maybe when the Ancients were first scouting this place, they accidentally brought this, er ... Kirsan fever with them. It got trapped here and over the course of ten thousand years it mutated to cause the symptoms we're now experiencing." McKay said. Hannah frowned as she didn't really agree with McKay's assumption that the bacteria came from the planet itself. As it would have been found in the tests of the soil, water and plant samples were negative. But Hannah kept her mouth shut as right now was not the time to argue.

"That would also explain why you and Ronon aren't affected. You have antibodies built up from when you were young."Keller said looking to Ronon and Teyla.

"Well, if they have the antibodies, then ..." Sam drawled eluding to making an cure from their blood but Keller shakes her head.

"It would take months to reverse-engineer a cure. I mean, I'm not even sure it's possible." Keller said.

"The sap of the enchuri plant. My people have used it for generations to combat Kirsan fever. It is highly effective and not much is needed." Teyla told the two women.

"Let's go get some." Sheppard said speaking for the first time.

"Take a Jumper." Sam told him, Sheppard rose from chair when Ronon spoke.

"Wait a minute. You've disabled the Gate, remember?" Ronon said, Sheppard and Sam exchanged looks as they didn't remember giving the order.

"You ordered Doctor Zelenka to take the control crystal. Where did he put it?" Teyla asked them, she spoke slowly as if Sam and the others were two cent short a dollar. Hell, Hannah didn't blame her with all the people losing their memories they were becoming increasingly difficult to handle. Just prove Hannah's point Sam wore a completely blank expression like she didn't remember giving the order.

"Zelenka, this is Sheppard. Come in." Sheppard said tapping his comm. They all waited for a moment, he called for Zelenka again and so when he recieved no answer he called Lorne.

"Lorne, come in." Sheppard said.

_"Yes, sir, go ahead."_

"You seen Zelenka?"

_"As a matter of fact, I have."_

"Did you bring him to the Mess Hall?"

_"Uh, sorry, sir, but he gave us the slip. Must have heard us coming. Cracked one of my people over the head with a metal rod and disappeared down a service hatch before I could get a shot off. There's no telling where he is now."_

"We need to find him" Hannah said,

"No, really? and where do you suggest we start?" McKay asked sarcastically.

* * *

><p>An hour later,<p>

"Zelenka, respond? ... Zelenka, come in." Sheppard said trying to hail Zelenka on the comm but the man had yet to reply. It was a pretty fruitless search as the sensors in the section of the city were down. Trust the crazy Czech to run to the one place they couldn't track him and none of them had thought to bring a hand held life signs detector either. Today was not a good day.

"Radek? We are not trying to hurt you. We need your help." Teyla called. Sheppard followed her as he wasn't really sure what direction he should be walking. He cursed the disease that was slowly mottling his brain.

"I can't find him" Hannah said as she dropped down from the same service hatch Zelenka had supposedly used. She had to admit it was rather amusing seeing Sheppard jump in surprise when she landed just a couple steps from him. She dusted her hands and knew her current outfit was a gonner as it was covered in dust and grime from the crawling through the service corridors.

"Ok, this is pointless. Look, we don't even know if he still has a radio, and even if we find him, chances are he's not going to remember what he did with the control crystal. Let's face it: we're screwed." McKay said as he and Ronon came towards them as they had searched the other rooms.

"There's gotta be some way out of this. " Sheppard said, he gave it a moment of thought before he pointed at McKay "What about the Jumpers? They've got D.H.D.s." he said but McKay shook his head.

It doesn't matter. Without the control crystal, the Gate can't establish a stable wormhole. We're not going anywhere." McKay informed him.

"I'm missing something. I can't concentrate." Sheppard said frowning it was such a golden moment for Hannah to make a quip about his lack of concentration and how it wasn't anything new but decided right now was once again not the time.

"What about the mainland?" Ronon asked, they all looked to him.

"Ronon is right. The enchuri plant is abundant on many worlds. It may be here as well." Teyla said. Sheppard nodded agreeing with Teyla's assumption.

"All right. Assuming we can find the stuff, how're we going to distribute it?" Sheppard asked. He looked to McKay who gave a plaintive sigh.

" I'll figure something out." he said in a tired tone, when Hannah had a thought.

"We could use the CO2 scrubbers to distribute the aerosolised plant" Hannah said, McKay looked at her as if amazed she had thought of such a thing. "and distribute it through the ventilation system of Atlantis but-" she was about continue but McKay cut her off.

"We'd have to override base protocol for temperature, humidity and air pressure" McKay finished for her. Hannah nodded in agreement.

"Yes and we need to make sure everybody infected with the disease are in the central building so we only have to use one HVAC room." Hannah said, it wasn't something she could do as she didn't have full access to Atlantis' systems yet but McKay could. He narrowed his eyes at her as he finally managed to think over her idea.

"You do realise that how dangerous that could be. Mixing water and Calcium Oxide-" McKay told her.

"Yeah I know" Hannah told him as she knew full well the dangers of mixing calcium oxide and water together. But it was also the quickest way to flood the city with Enchuri plant.

"We also don't know if the fumes would be safe-" he started but she cut him off yet again.

"Please we would only need to keep the toxicity levels below 400 ppm and the worst that will happen is someone may pass out otherwise everyone will just experience a nasty headache." Hannah told him.

"So no different to how we're feeling right now" Sheppard quipped as he wiped the sweat that had beaded on his forehead with the back of his arm.

"And how will we be able to control that?" McKay asked Hannah in his typical patronizing fashion as he ignored Sheppard's quip.

"You won't. I will when you give me full control of Atlantis' environmental systems. You'll need to transfer them to the HVAC room" Hannah told him.

"I am?" McKay asked her in disbelief.

"Yeah, you are" Sheppard told him, he used the tone reserved for when he was giving an order and wouldn't tolerate back talk or argue about it. Something McKay was well attuned to understanding as he gave a nod of surrender and slight roll of his eyes.

"Ok, I'll be in my labs working on the program, you get the HVAC room below the main tower. Call me when you get there" McKay ordered Hannah. He turned on his feet and walked off in what he probably presumed was the closest transporter. Teyla, Ronon and Hannah exchanged looks as McKay was going the wrong direction.

"I'll stay with Rodney." Teyla informed them, she looked to Ronon "Do you know what to look for?" Teyla asked him. He gave a nod knowing he would be taking Sheppard to the mainland.

"It grows like a weed on Sateda." Ronon assured her. Teyla nodded and left them running off to catch up with McKay and guide him back to his labs. Hannah looked to Ronon.

"I'm going to need a lot of enchuri" Hannah told him

"I'll get as much as I can carry" he told her, he looked to Sheppard who stood there looking rather blank. He hoped the man wasn't too far gone that he couldn't fly the jumper. He also sent Sheppard a look that hopefully said 'go wait somewhere' as he really wanted a moment alone with Hannah. Apparently Sheppard got the message as his eyes went wide and he looked a little awkward.

"I'll ah stand over there" Sheppard said sensing there was going to be a moment. Ronon moved Hannah and himself out of Sheppard's eye line.

"You going to be ok on your own?" Ronon asked Hannah.

"Yeah, Major Lorne doesn't seem too far gone. The stims must be working for him and his men" Hannah said, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to her damn best to stay out of their way.

"Here take this" he said, he undid his gun holster and handed it and the gun still holstered to her. Hannah's eyes went wide as Ronon never gave up his gun to anyone. The significance of him doing so now was a little overwhelming.

"I don't need-" she started to explain she didn't need the weapon but appreciated the offer when he cut her off.

"Wallace and Fisk are with Lorne picking up the stragglers. They are all showing signs of the disease so it's only a matter of time before they lose it completely" Ronon told her, he didn't want her without a weapon and he knew she wasn't going to be given one either as Sheppard nor the Colonel even offered Teyla a weapon so why would they extend the same to Hannah. In his mind it was stupid but he also knew that if Teyla wanted a weapon for protection she would take one. She was just too trusting at the moment to realise that she would need one.

"But this is your gun, I can't take it" Hannah told him, he gave her a perplexed look.

"I have a spare, it low on power but I'm going to be with Sheppard. I won't be without a weapon and now neither will you" he said, Hannah grasped the handle of the gun looking reticent at having it.

"Are you sure?" she asked him. He cupped the back of her neck and bent his head down and kissed her. Long and hard with yearning with wanting to be alone with her instead of running off the mainland with Sheppard. Hannah's hands gripped the front of his shirt pulling him closer as she revelled in the kiss.

"Yeah I'm and try not to lose it. I like this gun" he told her in a serious tone after he broke the kiss. Hannah laughed and gave him a playful shove.

* * *

><p>"Hannah" Sam said as she walked into the HVAC room to find Hannah opening up the wall panels. The room was a large and circular in design with main control panel and screen in the middle of the room. Behind every available wall panel in the room was a large cylindrical tank filled with some substance they discovered was Calcium oxide. It was the CO2 scrubbers and this HVAC room was just one of 8 on the base but it scrubbed the CO2 for the main spire of the city. It was why they were congregating all of the members of the expedition into one place.<p>

"Colonel" Hannah said, Sam wished Hannah would call her 'Sam' but knew it wouldn't happen today. She looked Hannah over noting the woman's clothing and skin was covered in dirt and black grease. Hannah also had Ronon's gun strapped to the side of her thigh. Sam wondered when she had gotten so dirty but then she remembered that Hannah had been tracking Zelenka down. The reason why had slipped her mind but she trusted that everything was in hand with Hannah, Teyla and Ronon. She also trusted that she gave Hannah approval to carry a side arm but how the woman managed to get Ronon's gun did concern her somewhat.

"McKay informed me you were down here. Is there anything you need?" Sam asked her, Sam felt useless as her mind was slowly slipping from her grasp. She had the headaches and the fever but for the past hour she was starting to forget herself. After Sheppard had given her an update she had sat at her desk for at least half an hour before she remembered she in charge and she needed to get back to work. But then she had forgotten what was on her schedule or what she could help with so she searched out Hannah. All in the hopes the young woman might need some help.

"I'll need to take some equipment from storage and bring it cooking equipment and water before Ronon returns. I'll steep the enchuri in water make a tea and then pour it on the calcium oxide in the CO2 scrubbers" Hannah told her, Sam frowned as she didn't remember any of this plan being told to her.

"That will destroy the calcium oxide in the filters not too mention it could melt the filters." Sam said, Hannah gave an exhausted sigh and stopped opening the panels turning to face Sam and gave a nod.

"I know but I highly doubt that will happen and yes I know that I'll need to put on a hazmat suit so I don't get burnt or breathe in any of the steam. Don't worry, the plan will work and I'll make sure the scrubbers are cleaned and prepped before the next space trip" Hannah told her. She looked to Sam and saw her little speech was wasted as Sam had a spaced out look on her face.

"Ok, well take what you need" Sam told her.

"Thanks and you should probably head to Mess Hall" Hannah told her. Sam nodded and turned to leave but stopped turning back to Hannah.

"And before I forget." Sam said, Hannah looked at her.

"Yeah?" Hannah asked.

"Good luck" Sam told her. Hannah smiled and gave a nod, Sam returned the smile and left Hannah to get back to whatever she was doing.

* * *

><p>Hannah was hauling dolly piled with Calcium Oxide from one of the storage rooms on North Eastern pier. She would have preferred to have down this job later with the help of Sheppard and Ronon as the bags were heavy and this was her first of what would be at least 4 trips but she couldn't wait for them as she had discovered some of the CO2 scrubbers were slightly contaminated. It only made her believe there would be more, which meant she'd have to clean them out and get them ready. She was pushing the dolly down the hallway back to the transporter when she passed a room and stopped. She stopped because she could have sworn she caught movement from inside the room. She carefully steadied and released the dolly before she unholstered Ronon's gun.<p>

She leaned her head through the doorway of the room and realised it wasn't movement that her eye had caught but the soft pulsating orange glow lighting that dimmed and revved in the room. Wondering what could possibly glowing down in what was supposed to be empty storage space. She leaned back and listened to see she was alone, when she was met with silence she stepped into the room and looked around.

It was empty bar whatever had been wrapped around one of the columns. She pulled a small flash light from her pocket and flashed the light over the room looking for anything else that seemed out of character with the décor. After a quick look at the floor and the area with her eyes, she decided to move forward. She slowly around the pillar not entirely sure of what she was looking at.

There was a medium sized device welded to the column, it was rectangle shape roughly 30cm by 45 cm with an open shell, crystal spikes sticking out of the box. It was the bastardisation of Goa'uld technology and Earth technology, the same she had seen in the Earth ships like the Daedulus as the crystals were plugged into the main board of circuitry which she assumed connected to the wiring that went up the column and into the open ceiling panel above her.

_"Hannah, come in"_ McKay said.

"Hannah here" Hannah answered slightly distracted as she looked at the device and it's tendrils that were sunk into Atlantis.

"_You still in the HVAC room?_" McKay asked.

"No, but I will be in five minutes. I'm hauling gear" Hannah told him.

"Ok well hurry up" McKay told her impatiently, Hannah rolled her eyes and snapped off the torch, pocketing it. She looked at the device one more time before she left the room holstering her weapon. She'd have to come back to it later. She left the room untouched and hefted th dolly onto it's wheels and headed back to the Central spire's HVAC room.

It took a little longer that 5 minutes but when she got there, she hefted the bags of calcium oxide off the dolly to the side of the room before she tapped her comm to activate it.

"Ok, McKay go ahead" Hannah said a little out of breath. She moved to the main console in the room.

"I'm going to turn over partial control of the systems to you so you can start getting to work" He told her, Hannah frowned as he wondered what the hell he thought she had been doing but let it slide as he like every other infected person in Atlantis' short term memory was seriously impaired.

"Thanks" Hannah said dryly, the lights flickered in the room and the screen went blank and the system rebooted control back into the room instead of being diverted to the control room like all the other systems had been when the expedition arrived.

"Have you got it?"

"Yes, I do. When will I get the rest?" Hannah asked him.

"When I've finished writing the program" He told her. He went off comms not waiting for her reply obviously not wanting her to interrupt any further from what he was doing.

"Ok" Hannah said to herself, she moved the other side of the room with the wall panels she hadn't opened yet. Every clean CO2 scrubber was a blessing and she was starting to think that the 4 contaminated CO2 scrubbers out of the 20 in the room was not too bad but her thoughts had jinxed her. She popped number 14 of the CO2 scrubbers and barely had time to step back when a foul smelling pitch black viscous liquid with chunks oozed out of the wall.

Hannah gagged at the smell and retreated back a few more steps while she tried to not lose her breakfast. She gingerly stepped to the next wall panel and popped it open and the next to find the same black filth contaminating the scrubbers. The smell overpowering Hannah decided to take her leave. She stepped out of the room and closed the doors.

* * *

><p>"There's going to be a delay and I think I found the source the outbreak" Hannah told Teyla as she came into McKay's lab. They stood to the far corner of the room away from McKay so as not to disturb him from his work. She had come straight from the HVAC room<p>

"Why, what is wrong?" Teyla asked her, concern etched into her features.

"6 out 20 of the CO2 scrubbers are contaminated. One of them heavily so, I'll take samples but the fact that the scrubbers probably haven't been refreshed in this millenia and you guys recently put the CO2 scrubbers into use when you space hopped planets. We can get into the hows, whats and whys later. For now, I need to clean and refresh them all of CO2 scrubbers. It's going to take time" Hannah informed her.

"Can we not make do with uncontaminated CO2 scrubbers or use the Enchuri plate to purify the contaminated ones?"

"No, they are too far gone and I'm not entirely sure what putrefied the current CO2 scrubbers. I'm only theorising that this disease might come from the contaminated scrubbers. So what I'm going to do is chuck on a HAZMAT suit and decontaminate the HVAC room and scrubbers. I just wanted to give you a heads up" Hannah told her.

"I should help you" Teyla told her.

"I'd love that but you need to make sure McKay finishes that program" Hannah said, Teyla gave a reluctant nod agreeing with Hannah.

"Ok, is there anything else?" Teyla asked.

"Yeah, when it's time you'll have to either put on a HAZMAT suit or a gas mask. If I remember Enchuri tea also has sedative properties so we need to keep our heads out of it" Hannah said.

"I will make sure I am prepared." Teyla told her.

"I'll be so happy when this is over" Hannah said with a sigh.

"I am in complete agreement" Teyla said looking as exhausted as Hannah felt.

* * *

><p>Hannah spent five hours sweating in a HAZMAT suit cleaning up the HVAC room. She had marked and saved samples from each scrubbers for McKay, Keller or whoever to analyse later. She scrapped all the contaminated materials into empty drums before using specially formulated heavy duty disinfectant to scrub down and decontaminate all the scrubbers and the room. Once that was done she scrubbed the room down a second time before she refilled all the CO2 scrubbers in the room with fresh Calcium oxide. It taken her a lot longer than she had expected or wanted it to.<p>

She stepped out of the room and closed the door. Locking it behind her, she unzipped the helmet and pulled it off giving a exhale of relief as the cold air washed her face. She then unzipped the back of the suit and carefully stepped out of it to avoid contact with exterior of the suit as it was covered in particles of the calcium oxide. Last thing she needed was to get burned by the stuff.

She stepped away from the suit and shook out her top that was sodden with sweat. She couldn't wait for a hot shower and fresh clothes. She tapped her comm. "Teyla, come in" she said over the comm. She waited and after a few minutes of static she tried to call Teyla again.

"Teyla?" she said into her comm. When she was still met with silence, Hannah closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Great" Hannah muttered, she looked at the suit and wondered if it would be safe. Then she realised that she was being stupid. She was deep in the substructure of the city the likelihood someone would come down here but herself were very slim. So she headed to the closest transporter. She pressed the map for where McKay's labs were located. The doors closed and the room lit up, the doors opened and Hannah stepped out. She looked around noting how eerily quiet the city was.

She rested her hand on the handle of Ronon's gun and crept down the hallway as quietly as she could. Ronon had warned her about Lorne and his men being hyped on stimulants and that they were displaying symptoms of the illness. Knowing her luck it would make them amnesiac and belligerent. Not a good mix.

Hannah rounded the corner and walked into McKay's labs to find them empty. Keeping her ears peeled for the soldiers she moved to the laptop to see the program McKay had been writing. She cursed as the program wasn't finished and she didn't have the confidence to even decipher where he was upto because she didn't want to unravel whatever progress he had made. She tried to hail Teyla again on the comm but was met with static. She needed to get to the control room.

Hannah left the room and headed to the transporter again, and pressed the map for the jumper bay. Once there she surreptitiously checked her surroundings and unholstered Ronon's gun before she carefully made her way down the stairs. She hated how quiet it was and not knowing where the soldiers were was troublesome especially since the control room was such an open space. It made her an easy target.

Once in the control room she did a scan of the city noting that majority of the life signs were congregated in the central tower. At least that hadn't gone awry, she then moved to the communications panel and hunkered down behind the console.

"Jumper One, do you read?" Hannah said, she repeated the call a second time.

_"Yeah, we're here_" Ronon's voice said in her ear. Relief washed over her as she wasn't alone as she feared.

"Oh thank god. How far are you out?" Hannah asked him.

_"A couple of hours at least. What's going on?_" Ronon asked.

"I don't know" she told him about how Teyla was not responding comms and McKay hadn't finished the program. How it was dead quiet and she hadn't run into the soldiers yet but had a really bad feeling. "But the HVAC room is prepped and ready to go" Hannah said as she looked over the comm. panel to make sure she was still alone.

_"Ok, get back to HVAC room and wait for me. I'll come to you_" he told her.

"Ok, remember to bring a gas mask. When we aerosolise the enchuri plant it's going to kick up some of the calcium oxide which is not healthy to breathe in" she told him, the hairs on the back of her neck were rising and her stomach rolled as she hated being a sitting target.

"Done" Ronon told her. She closed the comm. connection and rose from her position and looked around again. That's when she heard them. The soldiers.

"We got a straggler" she heard Lt Kemp say and then she heard the She felt incredibly paranoid as her instincts told her to run. She moved to the stair well that led up to the jumper bay and was half way up them when Major Lorne came down them pointing a stunner at her.

"Major Lorne" Hannah said, she gripped Ronon's gun but hadn't had enough time to raise it. If she did now she'd probably get stunned and fall down the stairs.

"O'Neill, you know you're not allowed to be in the control room. What are you doing here?" he asked her, he was sweating profusely and twitching from the effects of the stimulants.

"I was looking for you" Hannah said as she holstered the gun and held her hands up in surrender. He gave her a wry smile.

"Funny I was looking for you too" he said and before Hannah could ask why he shot her with stunner. Her body spasmed from the shock of the blast and the effect of the stunner pulse as her body numbed and her mind blacked out the last thing she felt was herself falling backwards down the stairs.

* * *

><p><em>TBC- Cya all soon and thank you for all and any reviews as they help keep me motivated and happy to know you're enjoying what you're reading!<em>


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

"Hannah?" Teyla said from above Hannah who gave a moan of pain as her nerve endings were tingling from the wraith stun blast. She slowly opened her eyes to look up at the Athosian. "Are you ok?" Teyla asked her.

"Yeah, peachy" Hannah said sarcastically. She reached her thigh and cursed under her breath as her thigh holster was empty. Ronon's gun was gone and took note that she was in a cell with Teyla. "So this is where you've been hiding" Hannah said as she rolled to her side, and pushed herself up to her feet. She groaned as her muscles painfully protested the movement and her head slightly swooned. She knew the head swoon was from the lack of lunch and probably dehydration since Hannah had been too busy to stop for a water break. Luckily Teyla caught her by the elbow and steadied her before she had the chance to face plant the floor.

"Yes, it was unwilling on my part. Major Lorne and his soldiers-" Teyla started to explain but was cut off as Lorne walked into the room. Teyla dropped her hand from Hannah's elbow and turned to face him.

"Good, you're awake." Lorne said in a curt tone, Hannah rolled her shoulders back wincing as she had definitely acquired new bruises. She looked at Lorne and noted the man was looking worse than he did when he shot her. Hannah moved to stand beside Teyla, she watched the man's movements as his face was flushed, he was sweating and fidgeting obviously it was a side effect to the stimulants. Ronon had warned her, I guess she should consider herself lucky that she hadn't encountered Fisk and Wallace alone.

"Major Lorne, you must set us free—" Teyla began in an imploring manner but Lorne cut her off.

"Save it. You're not going anywhere 'till I get some answers. I need to know what you two have done to my people." Lorne told them, his tone left much to be desired as it sounded like he was accusing them for the outbreak.

"What we've done? You believe we're behind this?" Teyla asked him confused.

"Is-is it a drug? Some kind of bio-weapon?" Lorne asked. Hannah dropped her head as he looked between Teyla and herself with recrimination. It was rich coming from Lorne since he attacked them first. But it also showed how truly far gone he was, the stimulants may have given him the ability to retain his identity but he had totally lost the plot on what was going on and filling in the blanks with worst case scenario situations. Teyla and Hannah exchanged a look of frustration before Hannah gave a silent signal for Teyla to sort it out. Hannah knew she would only antagonise Lorne where as Teyla would be more diplomatic. Teyla gave a roll of her head and deep breath as if preparing herself before she turned her attention back to Lorne.

"Major, they're sick. You as well. The entire base is infected with a disease." Teyla told him in a patient yet commanding tone. Lorne made a derisive noise.

"Everyone except you two." Lorne said, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle of tablets, they watched as he fumbled with the lid and then poured out what looked to be three or four tablets into his hand.

"Yes. we're immune to its effects." Teyla told him as Lorne threw the tablets into his mouth and proceeded to dry swallow the tablets.

"Isn't that convenient?" Lorne asked sarcastically.

"How many of those have you taken?" Teyla asked him, Hannah inwardly cringed as it was definitely the wrong question to ask.

"Why don't you just let me worry about that, okay?" he asked as he tossed back a couple more tablets and crunched on them, Hannah made a face as it had to taste disgusting.

"It's the pills. They're what's making you act like this. They're confusing you. They're making you unstable" Teyla told him. Hannah was tempted to Teyla not to bother as Lorne was too far gone to understand but held her tongue as it wouldn't help their situation.

"Making me unstable?! I'm not the one who unleashed a disease on my people, okay? Quit stalling. I want to know what you were doing in the hall—" Lorne stopped mid sentence as he was shot by a wraith stun blast from behind. Hannah and Teyla watched in surprise as the man slumped to the floor unconscious to find Sam behind him with a wraith stunner in hand with McKay and Zelenka right behind her.

"Rodney!" Teyla said in surprise. Hannah and she rushed to the bars not touching them as they didn't want to be zapped by the forcefield.

"Teyla!" McKay said, he and the others looked like they had found the grand prize.

"Yes. It's good to see you. Colonel Carter, Doctor Zelenka, you as well. How did you find us?" Teyla asked them. Hannah watched as the three of them looked at one another confused for a moment before Sam answered.

"Uh, well, we were having trouble finding you by ourselves, so we followed him." Sam said gesturing to Lorne who laid on the floor unconscious.

"Who is that?" Zelenka asked suspiciously as he pointed at Hannah with a metal rod. Teyla gave him a comforting smile and placed a hand on Hannah's shoulder.

"She is my friend here to help us." She assured them before she focussed on McKay. "Rodney, did you finish your work?" Teyla asked him. The man looked at her blankly.

"He hasn't" Hannah murmured under her breath to Teyla.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" McKay asked completely lost. Teyla gave an exasperated sigh something Hannah felt like doing as today was like a comedy of errors. Deciding to step up and give Teyla a moment to process the situation she motioned at McKay.

"Hey, can you disarm the force shield?" Hannah said to McKay, she moved to the side of the cell where the control panel for the cell was and pointed. She and Teyla watched as McKay studied the panel. She was pretty sure he found it incomprehensible and she summoned the patience she knew she would need to talk the man through bypassing the security codes to open the cell.

"I-I don't know. " he said, Hannah was about to tell him how to bypass it when his eyes lit up. "Wait…" he told them, he pulled up the sleeves of his arms and it was the first time Hannah saw they were covered in texture ink of words like 'Teyla', 'computer' and some ancient numbers. Obviously it was the code as the man punched in the numbers into the key pad and the force field dropped and the door opened.

Teyla and Hannah stepped out of the cell and Hannah quickly patted Lorne down and smiled as she unzipped his vest pulling Ronon's gun out and holstering it to her thigh again. She unholstered his wraith stunner and handed it to Teyla who was trying to figure out how far gone McKay and the other two were.

"Hannah" Teyla said as she took the stunner. "How close are you to completing your task?" she asked. Hannah straightened herself and looked to Teyla.

"I'm ready to go. Just need the enchuri plant. So I'm going to lock myself in HVAC room and wait for Ronon. Last thing I need is to be recaptured or Lorne's men getting in the HVAC and messing it up." Hannah told her. Teyla nodded.

"I think that would be wise. I will take the others to Rodney's lab. Be careful" Teyla told her. Hannah looked at Sam, McKay and Zelenka for a moment before she spoke.

"I will and you take care yourself" Hannah replied, she watched as Teyla ushered her newly acquired flock out of the room. She pulled Ronon's gun from her thigh holster turning it back to its 'stun' setting before heading out of the room.

* * *

><p>"Hey, I got the plants" Ronon announced to Teyla as he came into the lab with Sheppard at his side carrying bags filled of enchuri plant. He couldn't wait for the cure to be dispersed as he wanted his friends back. The mentally deficient version of Sheppard was amusing until he tried to shot him. Now he was just annoying and by the strained look on Teyla's face, the others on base were also a pain in the ass to deal with. Teyla looked relieve to see him while McKay, Colonel Carter were looking like lost children while Zelenka was passed out on the floor or at least he hoped the man was asleep.<p>

He didn't want to know how Hannah was coping, he wasn't game to use the comm system as Major Lorne and the others were incredibly twitchy and uncomfortable with his presence. Obviously a lot had happened on Atlantis in his absence, he just hoped Hannah had stayed out of it.

"Good, you'll need to take them down to Hannah" Teyla told him as he dropped the bags on the ground.

"Where?" Ronon asked as he had no clue where Hannah was. Teyla picked up a tablet computer from the table and tapped the screen pulling up a map for him.

"Here" she said showing the screen to him, he took the tablet computer from her and studied the map for a moment.

"Ok, I can get there. Anything else I should know?" Ronon asked handing back the tablet computer back to Teyla.

"Yes, Hannah is also on channel two on the comms. She needs the plants and the tablets" Teyla held up a small container with two tablets in it. "and take this mask. You will need it when Hannah disperses the enchuri through the central spire" Teyla said as she handed him a gas mask and a small pill container. Ronon took them from her and gave a nod; pocketing the pills slinging it onto his forearm before he picked up a couple of the bags of enchuri plant. He turned to leave but looked at Sheppard who was staring out the window with a vague look on his face. He turned back to Teyla who looked at him expectantly.

"Hey, can I leave him with you?" Ronon asked Teyla, he gestured his head towards Sheppard. Teyla gave a kind closed lip smile and nodded.

"Of course. Go" she told him. Ronon didn't need to be told twice as he picked up the bags of enchuri and left Teyla to tend with the others.

* * *

><p>Hannah gave a sigh of exhaustion as she was sweltering in the HAZMAT suit. The rubber was sticking to her body and if she were honest it was starting to itch. In fact it only started itch when she seriously started sweating into it. She wondered if maybe she had accidentally gotten some of the calcium oxide on her skin but decided not to think on it as she needed to focus on the job at hand.<p>

Once the enchuri was disseminated through Atlantis 's ventilation system. Given some time to saturate the air. She could then clean the air and vent out the HVAC room for particle contaminates in the air before she got to cleaning the air filters again. Sweat rolled down her forehead and onto her noise where it annoying stayed teasing her as she couldn't wipe it away.

"Great" Hannah mumbled darkly as she was pretty sure she had sweated out the water she had consumed the past half an hour and she was definitely going to indulge in a long cold shower and two tylenol after all this was done. She had set up several portable camp cookers with medium sized pots of water, with the ventilation down and the heat coming off the burners and being encased in plastic it was a veritable sauna in the room. Add in the fact it was her 'time of the month' as McKay liked to call it, she was not a happy camper.

_"Hannah, come in" _Ronon's voice rumbled over the comm. line in her ear.

"Ronon, tell me you're back" Hannah said, glad that the earwigs were automated in the HAZMAT suit, hearing his voice was a relief as it meant she was closer to having hot shower now than she was before.

_"I'm outside"_ He said, she smiled when heard a loud banging at the door and quickly turned all the burners down low before she went to the door. She unlocked it and pushed Ronon back before closing the door and pulling off her helmet. She placed it on the ground and pulled off her gloves as she moved to stand a few feet away from him.

"I'm so glad you're back but you might want to keep your distance. I'm covered in chemicals that could burn your skin off and I stink" she said adding the last part as she could tell he wanted touch her. Hell she wanted to jump him but now was not the time and she had to admit she was offending herself with her own body odour.

"Ok" he said looking slightly amused as he placed the bags of enchuri plants by the door. He looked her over, Hannah's face was flushed from the heat and her face covered in a sheen of sweat. She looked stressed and he wondered for a brief moment if she was succumbing to illness until he noticed there was an angry rash creeping up on her skin from the collar of the suit and up her neck and part of her jaw line. That was not a symptom of the illness rampant in the city.

"You alright?" he asked her.

"Yeah" Hannah said a little dismissively.

"You have a rash" he informed her, gesturing to her neck. Hannah blew out a breath as it slightly relaxed her raw nerves while she tried vainly to ignore how sweaty and itchy she was. She definitely didn't need to be reminded about it as it was painful and driving her insane.

"Yeah, it's not just my neck. I think it might be heat rash. I'll survive. Hey did Teyla give you the tylenol?" she asked him as she picked up a bottle of purple coloured water by the wall and uncapped it and take a long pull. He figured it was probably hydro-lyte mixed into water, Keller loved peddling that stuff to anyone who was dehydrated.

"Yeah" he pulled the small pill container from his pant pocket, opened it for her. She smiled in relief as he poured the two tablets from the container out into her hand. she quickly swallowed them down with more of the purple water.

"Though I'll be better when this is over. Sheppard's lost his memories" he informed her, Hannah swallowed another big gulp of her drink and nodded acknowledging his words. Concern and acceptance; two contradictory emotions flitted across her features.

"Ok, I'll get started right away" She told him. She blew out a breath and capped the drink placing back against the wall. She steeled herself as this was the final leg of a long day and she had to put the suit back on.

"You want help?" Ronon asked her. She gave him a smile.

"You'll have to put on a HAZMAT suit" She told him. He made a face as he hated HAZMAT suits. By the looks of Hannah, she was not enjoying her time in the suit either.

"Can't I just wear the mask?" he asked her, lifting his arm showing the gas mask Teyla had given him. Hannah shook her head as she wore an adorable yet patronising smile.

"Nope won't cut it for in here. I think mentioned the chemicals that could burn your skin off?" she told him in a teasing manner. She picked the gloves off the floor and pulled them back on before she lifted her helmet off the floor. She looked somewhat reticent to put it back on. Something he couldn't begrudge her for, he just hoped she wasn't going to collapse after today.

"Ok, Teyla wants you to know the program has been uploaded and to do what you need to" Ronon told her.

"Alright, put on your gas mask and tell Teyla to do as well. I'll be putting the enchuri through the ventilation in the next 15 minutes, You'll need to put your masks on and keep it on" Hannah told him. He watched as she pulled the helmet back on and then picked up the bags. The door opened and heat blasted from the room momentarily before Hannah stepped back in and the doors closed. He did not envy her.

* * *

><p>A few hours later,<p>

Hannah pulled the cord on the decontamination shower and listened to the water pound the HAZMAT suit once she felt it had a healthy dousing she peeled it off. Not envious of the next user and stuffed it into a medical waste bag to be washed or burned. She'd go with burning it as it deserved a quick death. Hell, her clothes would need to be washed a few dozen times and aerate them before she'd put them on again.

She peeled them off, making a face and tossed them into another bag for later and didn't bother looking at the angry heat rash on her body as she stepped back into the shower stall and started scrubbing herself down. After half an hour of scrubbing and rinsing, washing her hair and just standing under the shower with her eyes closed enjoying the cold water as it soothed her itchy skin and cooled her down. Hannah begrudgingly turned off the shower as she needed to go to bathroom which was more pressing at the moment than her enjoying a well deserved shower. She stepped out of the shower stall and picked up a towel and wrapped her hair up before snagging a second and drying off her body quickly before she dashed to the toilet. After emptying her cup and relieving herself, she washed her hands and returned back to the changing area off from the decontamination shower and found Teyla sitting on the bench seemingly waiting for her.

"I brought you some clothes" Teyla said as she gestured to a pile of neatly folded clothing. Hannah had planned on putting on some hospital scrubs but this was better. Much better as she was far more comfortable in her own clothes.

"Thanks" Hannah said as she quickly donned her underwear before tossing the rustic red racer-back tank tunic over her body enjoying the cool air and not being encased in plastic. The air had a slightly grassy scent to it as the enchuri was nearly purified out of Atlantis' air. Hell, everything smelt like fresh grass but the smell would pass in time.

"Hannah, your body" Teyla said, Hannah looked down at her skin, the rash had become inflamed from the all the scrubbing not even the cold shower had helped. The woes of not being tanned was that there was a deep contrast with the red sore rash to her pale skin.

"Yeah, it's a heat rash." Hannah paused. "I think. I'll take an antihistamine later." Hannah said dismissively, she had no trouble breathing so she wasn't going to freak out over heat rash. Though it was the first time she could remember ever having a heat rash, she tried not to think to heavily on it as she would take an antihistamine and cool down a bit more.

"You will take it now." Teyla said firmly. She rose from her seat and disappeared into the infirmary that was a room over. She came back in less than a minute with a tablet in hand and a bottle of water. Hannah took them from her and quickly downed the tiny tablet with water.

"Thanks" Hannah told her, she straddled the bench Teyla sat down on and reached for her boots.

"May I ask you a personal question?" Teyla asked Hannah.

"Sure" Hannah said as she pulled on her boots. She pulled the towel from her hair and used it to rub her hair dry.

"Is it true that the Ancestors exiled you?" Teyla asked, Hannah's eyebrows rose as she hadn't expected Teyla to ask her such a question. Though she wasn't surprised that her argument with Sam made the rounds. Hannah stopped towel drying her hair and pretended to give Teyla's question some thought before she answered it.

"It's complicated" Hannah told her. Teyla looked at her in a patient manner that said she was waiting for Hannah to elaborate. "Why you so curious?" Hannah asked her.

"Because like many people I wonder why you would return to us. If there is some higher purp-" Teyla started but Hannah knew exactly what she was thinking and wished people wouldn't make such assumptions about her de-ascension.

"No, no higher purpose. There's no mission. The Ancients washed their hands of me, the only blessing was that they left me on New Athos" Hannah said with a shrug. She knew she could tell Teyla the truth that she had made a deal with Morgan Le Fey to return to Atlantis. That she was on Atlantis to live her life and be with Ronon but she preferred to keep it to herself. It was one of those things that if she was going to tell someone it would be Ronon and Cadman. Ronon because he had a right to know but she wasn't going to tell him until much later in their relationship. Right now it felt a little too intense to share with him.

Then again how did one broach that kind of conversation and Ronon wigged out when she admitted to being a traitor. She didn't think the whole 'I fantasised about that time I hooked up with you on Atlantis over and over in my head to escape the reality of being a P.O.W. That I even added some nice fantasies to mix. That in those dark hours I ached with my entire being to be with you. You are my safe haven, being in your arms at night was like finally finding a sense a peace that eluded me for years. That even after coming back and realising you're more than my one dimensional fantasy, I still want you as much I did before and even more so'... yeah she knew that conversation would freak him out and add unneeded pressure to their relationship. Hell the sex that wasn't happening was like this cloud hanging over her head, she wished she hadn't chickened out. She should have just jumped him and gone with the flow.

It was funny how she had a way of just complicating things when it wasn't necessary. _Actually no it's not funny at all..._ Hannah thought frowning. She needed Cadman, she would know what to say to Hannah and if not she'd at least make her laugh and feel a little less neurotic. Hannah looked at Teyla who was currently gauging Hannah's response.

"Then I have to ask what are your intentions towards Ronon" Teyla said, Hannah blinked in surprise as she hadn't expected to be asked such a question.

"You know what? You're the first person to ask me that" Hannah told her. Teyla gave a closed lip smile and tilted her head to side. It was a very common Athosian body language motion that meant she was listening or acknowledging Hannah.

"I think of Ronon as family and Satedan values aren't always copacetic with values of your people's or even mine if I'm to be honest" Teyla said with a patient tone, Hannah would have been amused but she knew it was best not to laugh.

"Yes, I'm learning that as I go." Hannah chargrinned. She barely dated on Earth and now she was in a relationship with Ronon but still felt at a complete loss to know where she stood with him or how to proceed forward. Teyla didn't look entirely impressed with her answer, so she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before she said "Look, I'm not very good talking about this stuff" Hannah made erratic hand gestures and Teyla's eyebrows rose.

"Emotions?" she asked.

"Yes and about relationships but I -" Hannah stuttered as she really wasn't sure what was the right thing to say. Everything she could think to say sounded stupid or would be misinterpreted but figured there was no point in lying to Teyla. "I wished I could tell you my intentions are honourable but coming back to the Pegasus Galaxy, to Atlantis, to Ronon it's all purely self-serving." Hannah told her, Teyla quirked an eyebrow in surprise and wore a bemused smile.

"I don't believe you" Teyla said.

"Excuse me?" Hannah asked surprised that Teyla would question her for being selfish of all things.

"I do not believe all your actions are motivated by selfish motives" she said she rose from her seat and smoothed her top down. She looked rather smug which only confused Hannah as she couldn't fathom how what she said was a good answer. "Come, Ronon has prepared a meal for us" she told her.

"Really? Ronon can cook?" Hannah said in surprise, she rose from the bench and tossed her towel into a laundry bin. She grabbed her bottle of water and started to follow Teyla out of the shower area. She'd come back for her dirty clothes later.

"Yes, I'm sure we will find out soon enough if he can cook" Teyla said with an amused tone.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, Hannah and Teyla walked into the mess. There were people sleeping off the sedative effects of the Enchuri plant. Hannah didn't expect anyone to wake up until tomorrow. But to the far left where the kitchen connected to the room, there was a table set for three where Ronon stood. He placed a bowl of steaming food on table before Hannah wrapped her arms around his waist.<p>

"What's all this?" Hannah asked him, she looked around him at the table to see two plates and large bowl sat in the middle of the table one with salad, the next rice and the last one with what looked like a beef stew. with cutlery and three glasses and a pitcher of water. The food smelt amazing. She loosened her grip on his waist and moved to his side to get a better look at him and the food. She definitely lived a charmed life.

"Food" Ronon told her in a curt tone but his neck turned slightly red with embarrassed. Hannah couldn't help but smile as it was adorable.

"You sure?" Hannah joked, he shot her a dark look not appreciating her humour and she gave him a playful shove. "I was kidding, it looks and smells delicious" she told him.

"Then eat it" he grumbled as he didn't like how Teyla and Hannah were having fun at his expense. He cooked. It wasn't a big deal but somehow now it did feel like a big deal. He smacked Hannah on the ass, gesturing to a chair. Hannah gave a chuckle as she took her seat. Teyla took the one setting on the other side of the table. She sat down and Ronon felt nervous as the woman inspected the food.

He didn't know why but he felt it was important for Teyla and Hannah to like his cooking. Not that he cooked a lot or if ever considering as a runner there was no time for complex meals it was all catch as catch can. Literally. But like everything he did he liked to be proficient at everything he did. He sat back as Hannah poured out the drinks and Teyla served the food. He would have done so himself but he knew better than to get between the women and a hot meal.

It also gave him the opportunity to gage the women's state. Teyla looked as exhausted as he felt but otherwise in good shape. He did notice that Hannah hadn't lied about the rash being in more places than her neck. She had them on her arms as well and her back or at least where he could see. They looked puffed, angry and raw, judging by the tense way Hannah held herself they were definitely uncomfortable.

"That rash spread like a wildfire on you" Ronon commented, he couldn't help it. He wanted to know she was ok. She made a face as she ladled extra rice and stew on the tray.

"Yeah, it'll go away." Hannah said casually as she held the ladle for the stew towards him. He took it from her and dished up extra food onto his tray as Teyla had only served a modicum of food onto his tray as she had with Hannah. Teyla took a bite of her food at the same time as Hannah. Ronon watched them closely and when he heard the murmur of approval he couldn't help but feel a little smug.

"Mmm" Hannah murmured actually surprised that it tasted good. Not that she didn't think it wouldn't be delicious but it was Ronon who cooked it. It just reinforced how much she still didn't know about him. Though it was lucky he could cook as she was rubbish at it. "This is delicious" Hannah told Ronon before she attacked her dinner with gusto.

"It is quite good" Teyla agreed. The women shared amused looks as Ronon's cheeks were tinged pink from embarrassment as he looked down eating his meal. Obviously cooking was not something the Satedans praised a man for.

"So what's left to be done?" Hannah asked changing the topic. Ronon looked relieved to be out of the spotlight.

"We've removed the dead to the morgue, and left the others to rest where they are for the moment." Teyla said.

"When will they wake up?" Ronon asked them.

"Don't know, anywhere between an hour to a day." Hannah said between bites of her food.

"Let's hope an hour as there is much left to do and I for one would like some help" Teyla said before she took a sip of her water.

"I hear you. Though I'm planning on getting some sleep after this" Hannah said with an exhausted sigh. The food was starting to lull her to sleep but she was still hungry. She was definitely going straight to bed after she finished eating.

"We should take turns monitoring the people" Teyla said.

"I'll take first watch" Ronon said as he wanted Hannah to sleep. He wanted to sleep himself but it was better he take first watch as he knew Teyla would take the second watch which by then hopefully some of the people would wake up and be able to take over leaving Hannah to get some much needed rest.

"I will take the second watch" Teyla said just confirming Ronon's assumption. Hannah sat back her seat and narrowed her eyes at them. She swallowed the fork of stew she had been eating and spoke.

"I see what you two are doing" she said waving her fork at them. "and you know what I don't care as I am too tired to argue with you. So thank you" Hannah told them.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

"You didn't have to walk me to your quarters" Hannah told him as they walked down the hallway to his quarters. She was so tempted to hold his hand but didn't have the guts to do so and she was feeling a little vulnerable with her exhaustion and rash. She didn't want to know his thoughts about touching her when she had a rash even if it wasn't contagious. She felt exhausted and unattractive in that moment and only wanted to crawl into bed and sleep.

"If I didn't then you'd go to your quarters. Your bed is too small" He told her. Hannah chuckled at his comment as the memory of how his feet had hung over the bed looked. It had been pretty funny.

"Well we could move your bed to my quarters" Hannah suggested not so subtly. She knew it was too soon for the 'let's move in together' talk, she watched TV and it was usually months down the track not weeks. She had to remind herself that their relationship was still new. She looked to Ronon nervous for a moment as the second it took for him to answer felt like a dramatic amount of time.

"Not tonight" he told her but from the smile on his lips; it gave Hannah hope as it wasn't a point blank refusal. She didn't know why but she was still having anxiety that one day he would leave her. He hadn't given her any indication he would or a reason to doubt him but it stop that niggling doubt in her mind. But it didn't stop her from trying to reaffirm their relationship and test it's boundaries.

"But one day?" She asked in a hopeful tone. Ronon nodded while inwardly pleased at her blatant request that they move in together when he had been just subtly enjoying the slow game of lulling her into a relationship and her living with him. Not that he didn't like her quarters but his definitely had a few more pros than cons. A major one besides the bed being too short was that she shared her quarters with Lieutenant Cadman and while the woman was on the Daedalus more than she was on Atlantis; he didn't want to share his personal space with Cadman.

"One day, for now I want you sleeping in my quarters" He told her as they reached his door, Hannah walked in front of the door and turned to face him. Her eyes glittered with amusement and a coy smile played on her lips. It just tempted him to kiss her and enjoy the good mood of the moment but all in good time.

"Something to keep you awake?" Hannah teased him, her smile grew wide as he leaned in placing a hand on the door by her head.

"Something to look forward to" he corrected her. Hannah gave him an incredulous look.

"I'm exhausted and covered in a nasty rash. How is that something to look forward to?" she asked him.

"You'll be naked in my bed" he said stating the obvious or at least what he hoped and would spend the next few hours waiting to see. He'd need something to pass the time while he made sure no one rolled out of their cot.

"Semi-naked yes" She told him, he gave her look and she smiled as she remembered that majority of the time his desires were rather simple to decipher which she loved about him. "Ah yes and before I forget, your gun is in the decontamination showers with my gear. I had to clean it. on the exterior" she said carefully as she hoped he wouldn't be angry that she had forgotten to carry it on her person.

"Ok, I'll grab it when I do my rounds" he assured her. Not even slightly annoyed by the fact she left a weapon out in the open unattended. Any other time he'd be angry but not today. She seemed to take his blasé response the wrong way as she looked contrite.

"I'm sorry, I left it behind. It just slipped my mind" she told him. Ronon stepped closer to her and ran his fingers through her hair before cupping her the sides of her face.

"It's ok" he told her firmly. He held her gaze steady and made certain she couldn't misinterpret his meaning but it didn't work as she bit her bottom lip too distracted by whatever was running through her head.

"But I-" Hannah started but he cut her off with a brief but distracting kiss. Distracting enough to stop Hannah's thoughts.

"Go to bed, I'll meet you there in a few hours." he whispered against her lips before he kissed her again.

"Hmm Ok" She murmured back in between kisses. After a few moments, Ronon reluctantly released her and walked away, Hannah watched him until he disappeared around the corner before she turned around and moved into the room.

She kicked off her boots and pulled off her clothes as she went to the bathroom. When she walked into the room the lights turned on and she looked in the mirror wincing at her reflection. Her skin was mottled with heat rash or so she had hoped it was a rash and her back had slight bruising from when she'd fallen down the stairs. "Maybe after some sleep it will go away" Hannah mumbled to herself. She turned away from the mirror and went to the loo before brushing her teeth and leaving the bathroom.

She took off her bra and dropped it to the floor where her pile of clothes were and then crawled into bed. The cool sheets were heaven to her skin and the fur soft and soothing. She took a deep inhale enjoying the scent of the room as it smelt like Ronon. She closed her eyes and sighed enjoying the relief of being able to lie down and relax but didn't appreciate it long enough as sleep overcame her.

* * *

><p>4 hours later,<p>

Ronon sat down on a stool beside the bed he had put Sheppard. He had collapsed with the others when the Enchuri was disseminated but being his best friend he put him in a proper bed in the infirmary. He had to wonder how Sheppard ended up in hospital scrubs as he hadn't changed the man out of his clothes and couldn't help but smile as Teyla was probably the one who did it. Those two in his opinion had a very unusual relationship. They were friends but they also acted sometimes like it was something more because Ronon would never change Sheppard out of his clothes unless the man had been sick all over himself or injured and needed to have his clothes removed.

But that was it as far as he was concerned Sheppard could sleep it off like the others in his normal gear. Ronon looked around the room bored as all people were doing was sleeping. After a few rounds of watching people sleep, he got bored. He decided to use the time continue cleaning. He even soaked and washed Hannah's dirty clothes. He saw them when he went to pick up his gun and figured there was no point in leaving them around to stink up the place.

They were folded up and sitting at the end of Sheppard's bed along with his spare gun. He was now just waiting for Teyla to relieve him of his baby sitting duties so he could go to bed and get some sleep. A smile curved on his lips as he imagined Hannah all twisted up in his bed, but then he give a chuckle as it was more likely she'd be starfished hogging the whole bed. But that was ok as it gave him an excuse to wake her up. Not that he needed one.

He already knew what he was going to do when he got back to his quarters. Ideas and images flitted through his head making him hard and antsy to leave the Infirmary to go to Hannah. He just wished they weren't holding out on being physically intimate. He understood where she was coming from and sometimes when she thought he wasn't looking he'd catch her staring at him with this look of longing that was deeply intense. He wished he knew what was going on inside her head, that she would just spill all of her secrets to him. Tell him everything she felt for him but at the same time it scared him as Hannah had a darker and more intense side than Mileena could ever possess. But then Mileena had lived a privileged life, it sheltered her; kept her innocent in spirit which was what attracted him to her.

She was light, happiness and pure or at least that was how he remembered her but he also remembered her painfully naive nature that ended up getting her killed. He often wondered if she had gone with Kell would she have survived. If she had survived would she have waited for him or moved on with her life? he wasn't sure if he wanted to think too deeply on that thought as the answer would only make him angry and it was useless to think of her now. It was also demeaning to compare Hannah to Mileena. They were opposites of one another and Mileena was dead and gone but Hannah was alive and present in his life. She had come back to him, she made a promise which he thought might of been somewhat empty at the time. She had surprised him when she returned. It made him feel immensely humbled.

Damned if he was going to throw it away because she wouldn't measure up to his memory of Mileena. If he were truly honest he didn't want to be in a relationship with someone like Mileena. That type of woman had her appeal to him, caring to a fault, shy, innocent in spirit completely untouched by the violence of the world that made him want to protect her, keep her out of harm's way. Sometimes Keller reminded him of Mileena, the two had very many similar personality traits.

"Ronon" Teyla called, he turned to see Teyla smile in greeting as she walked towards him. She looked better for the 4 hour break.

"Hey" he said in greeting to her.

"How was your watch?" she asked as she stood next to him at Sheppard's bedside. Ronon noted the concern washing over her features.

"Boring, people just sleeping. No one's woken up yet." Ronon informed her. He was near desperate now to pick up his gun, Hannah's clothes and go but knew if he did Teyla would tease him later or tell Sheppard who in turn would tease Hannah. And considering he had waited 4 hours he could wait a couple of minutes weren't going to kill him.

"Ok" Teyla said with a nod. She pulled a small amber jar from her pocket and held it out to him.

"What's this?" Ronon asked as he took the jar, he lifted the lid and took a tentative sniff. He had expected it to smell like a sweaty armpit but was pleasantly surprised as it smelt like a Autumn afternoon; warm, sweet citrus scent with a light undercurrent scent of fresh grass and flowers.

"For Hannah's skin." Teyla informed him. Ronon gave a nod and closed the lid before he rose from his seat and pocketed the jar.

"Thanks, So you'll be alright on your own?" Ronon asked, he really didn't want to stay but felt the need to offer. Teyla thankfully shook her head to Ronon's relief.

"Yes, go get some rest. If I get into trouble I shall call you and Hannah" Teyla assured him.

* * *

><p>Ronon walked into his quarters and stopped for a moment to enjoy the view of Hannah. She was surprising lying on her left side in the fetal position knotted up in the bed sheets and fur. An amused smile made it's way to his lips as he wasn't sure how he was going to get his bed back from her. If she had been starfished then it was just a matter of sliding under her and pulling the blankets over both of them. But her current state was problematic, so instead of worrying about it, he stripped and went to the bathroom.<p>

By the time he had a shower and returned to the room Hannah had thankfully shifted in her sleep with her lean legs stretched out. He laid down behind her and slowly caressed the soft skin of her back feeling the slight dimples and ridges of scars and her flesh. Hannah drew in a soft breath as she woke from her sleep.

"What's the time?" Hannah murmured sleepily, she rolled onto her side. She was going to turn to face him but he slid in behind her and pulled her back against his chest as he spooned her from behind. The warmth of his body radiated into her and kept her in the lulled state of being between sleep and full consciousness.

"Time for sleep" he replied, he took a deep inhale enjoying the scent of her skin. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder, not caring that her skin was still mottled with hives.

"mmm not the right answer" Hannah said as she wriggled back against him trying the get as close as she could to him as well as tease him. Ronon made a gruff noise as he moved his leg over her legs trapping her to still her movement.

"This rash is lingering" he murmured as he placed a kiss on the side of her neck, not able to help himself. He revelled in the intimacy of sharing his bed with Hannah, the pleasure of physical contact with another person.

"Mhmm" Hannah murmured.

"Does it hurt?" he asked her. He did his best to not stroke or caress her skin in case it aggravated the rash. Though from what he could tell she hadn't been scratching it but knew better than to push his luck, so he held her and enjoyed the feel of her body against his.

"No, it's fine" she answered truthfully as she was too tired to give a damn about it and since it wasn't itching right in that moment then she wasn't going to give it the time of day. Later it would be a problem but not right now.

"Good, you let me know otherwise" he murmured in her ear.

"Anyone wake up?" Hannah asked.

"Not yet, sleep" he told her, squeezing her in his arms for a moment before relaxing. He slowed his breathing, listened and felt Hannah's body slowly grow heavy with sleep against him.

* * *

><p>A few hours later,<p>

Ronon and Teyla stood at Sheppard's bedside. Hannah had been seated on a stool on the other side watching Sheppard, waiting for him to wake up when she was called away by Colonel Carter. Keller had Told Teyla that Sheppard would be awake and thus she called them to join them. Ronon looked down at Sheppard and fought the urge shake him awake so he could get back to his day.

It wasn't like he didn't care for his friend it was that Sheppard like the others were going to survive so sitting by the man's beside seemed a little bit of overkill. Though he knew it was what Teyla wanted so he stood beside her because that's what friends did for one another.

"The ointment was meant for Hannah" Teyla said in a subtly teasing manner to Ronon, breaking the silence as she could no longer hold her tongue and sit next to Ronon whilst he smelt like he was covered in the ointment she had given him hours ago.

"I know. What was in that stuff? I washed my hands 4 times and I can still smell like it" Ronon said, annoyed that Teyla was teasing him. She reminded him of his sister when she did that.

"It's a mixture of herbs and flowers known for their medicinal properties. The scent will dissipate in time. Speaking of which did it work for Hannah's skin?" Teyla asked him.

"I think so, Hannah wasn't complaining" he said with a shrug but then she hadn't complained at all. though she did have a long and frigidly cold shower. He wouldn't be surprised if she had felt his hands on her skin she was so numbingly cold. Silence lapsed between them again before Teyla spoke up again.

"Will you be coming to the Tandul feast this coming week?" Teyla asked him, making conversation.

"I can't, I promised to train with Lorne and the others" Ronon said making a face as he'd rather go off world and get drunk, celebrate with the Athosians. Maybe relive some good memories and improve on them with Hannah by the lake.

"That is a shame." Teyla was about to say more but stopped mid-sentence as Sheppard slowly stirred awake "Colonel, you're awake." Teyla said with a smile of relief. Sheppard pulled on the white hospital scrubs and noted he was in the infirmary before he looked to Teyla and Ronon.

"Mmm. What happened?" Sheppard asked groggily as he looked to them.

"Teyla and Hannah distributed the plant through the ventilation system. Knocked you out for a bit." Ronon told him. Sheppard frowned as he was still trying to figure out if it was Ronon or Teyla who smelled good. He had to admit he hoped it was the latter and not the former.

"How long have I been asleep?" Sheppard asked them,

" 'Bout a day." Ronon informed him. Sheppard's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"A day?!" Sheppard said in disbelief.

"Hit some people harder than others." Ronon said with a shrug.

"How you feeling, John? How's your memory?" Teyla asked him. Sheppard did a quick mental check and found his mind incredibly foggy at best.

"Oh, pretty good, I think. I mean…things are a little fuzzy. If I forget your birthday next year…" Sheppard joked. Teyla smiled.

"I will forgive you. When you are feeling well enough, Major Lorne wishes to speak with you. He feels badly about what happened." Teyla said. Vague memories flitted through his mind of Lorne holding him and Ronon up in the puddle jumper bay. That showing the photo had saved the day or so he believe so if his memory was to be trusted. Everything was hazy.

"It wasn't his fault. Just glad he still had the photo I gave him." Sheppard said.

"That was good thinking, by the way." Ronon told him.

"Yes. If the distribution of the cure had been delayed any longer, many more people would have died." Teyla said in a grave manner.

"What do you mean?" Sheppard asked he looked around the infirmary noting the faces "Where's McKay?" he asked as McKay was always the first to claim a bed in the infirmary for the smallest of ailments.

"Alive" Ronon assured him.

"Hannah?" Sheppard asked.

"She is in a meeting with Sam as we speak. Hannah is debriefing her on what occurred during the outbreak" Teyla told him.

* * *

><p>Hannah sat in the guest chair of Sam's office, for the past half an hour Hannah had debriefed Sam on what had happened the past 24 hours. She mainly focussed on the HVAC room and contaminated CO2 scrubbers as she felt there was no point in discussing the other events that occurred. Major Lorne and his men losing their cool while on stimulants was not relevant to her. The care of Atlantis was.<p>

"Ok, thank you" Sam said placing the tablet computer on her desk. Hannah had sent her a report on HVAC room and how all the CO scrubbers on Atlantis needed to be checked and refreshed as soon as possible because who knew when the city might be going for another trip through space. They didn't need to risk another disease outbreak.

"It's important this gets done as soon as possible" Hannah told Sam as she felt Sam wasn't listening her.

"I know" Sam said a little annoyed at Hannah's authoritative tone. She still had a blinding headache and Hannah's tone and attitude was like nails on a chalkboard to her nerves.

"Ok, good and make sure full HAZMAT protocols are used." Hannah said not even showing any deference to Sam's foul mood.

"Thank you, is there anything else?" Sam asked curtly. Hannah shifted in her chair looking slightly uncomfortable at the question. She thought about the device she happened upon yesterday and whether she should mention it. Part of her wanted to keep it a secret but she also knew it was better for her to be straightforward with Sam. If it came out that she knew about the devices and said nothing then it would reflect badly on her.

"Yeah, but you need to see it to believe me but we need to suit up" Hannah told her, she rose from her chair and waited for Sam.

"Now?" Sam asked. Hannah nodded.

"Yes" Hannah told her. Sam rose from her chair and followed Hannah out of her office.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later in full HAZMAT, Hannah and Sam walked down the long corridor to the room where the device was. Hannah knew it was overkill to be in the suit but she wasn't sure how fastidious the rooms were kept and didn't want any contact burns from Calcium oxide.<p>

"You mind telling me where we are going?" Sam asked her.

"I prefer to just show you" Hannah said as Sam followed Hannah as they ventured into a part of the city Sam hadn't been in. But then Sam didn't have much time to explore the city.

"I came this way because it's where the gear for the CO2 scrubbers when I noticed something in one of the side rooms" Hannah said, she slowed to stop and turned right into an empty room but even Sam new immediately that something was off as room glowed a soft orange, Hannah turned on the torch she brought with her and flashed it over the most predominant pylon in the room.

"I stopped to take a look and obviously found this" Hannah said as she passed her torch to Sam. "There are no obvious booby traps or sensors in the room but I do believe the device has an explosive component which is why I was disinclined to remove it" Hannah told her. She tried to remain relatively calm but couldn't help but feel slightly aggravated as her skin was beginning to itch again. Teyla's ointment was obviously wearing off.

"This is not Atlantean" Sam said as she stood infront of the device and flashed the light over it noting the same things Hannah had earlier. The device was tapped into Atlantis' grid but the question was what was its purpose.

"Obviously" Hannah scoffed as she shifted in her suit completely uncomfortable. Sam took a deep breath ignoring Hannah's tone.

"It's also not Lucian Alliance technology" Sam said looking at the device more closely.

"How can you know?" Hannah asked folding her arms across her chest.

"Because they only use Go'uld technology while this is an earth adaption of said technology." Sam told her.

"Well whatever it is, it's tapped into Atlantis' systems and I think it's got an explosive component"

"Yes you said that earlier. Why would you think that?" Sam asked.

"It's a part of structural support system for the pier and sits on top of the one of the thrusters for the star drive and majority of science department store their chemicals. If this pier collapsed–"

"Yes, I know" Sam said cutting her off rather sharply as she knew if the pier collapsed it would lead to a massive explosion. Also due to how close the room was close to the tower it could destabilise the integrity of the city. It was sometimes easy to forget that Atlantis was a ship. They treated it like an innocuous city that floated on the ocean and Hannah just reminded Sam of the fact that science department needed to vary the locations of their storage.

"So think about it. Why wrap it around this beam? especially when there are better places to hide it and connect to Atlantis' systems" Hannah said absently scratching her arm.

"You have a point. We'll have to get in a team" Sam told her.

"And blow whatever chance you have at finding out who on Atlantis planted it or how many of these devices are on the base?" Hannah asked "Pardon the pun" she added quickly.

"Then what do you suggest?" Sam asked her.

"Look, this thing has could have been here for years but then Sheppard and Weir did a sweep of the city when the Trust had supposedly planted a bomb over a year ago. So it has to of been after that time otherwise the Trust operative would have flipped the switch then" Hannah told her.

"I concur" Sam said as she knew what Hannah was thinking.

"Possibly but either way, it's in an area that isn't frequented. Let me search the rest of the base on the DL" Hannah told her.

"You?" Sam said in slight disbelief as she wondered why Hannah would want to get involved in an 'Earth' matter.

"I know this city better than anyone else. Wouldn't it be better if I run around check the base and then when we know what we're up against then we take action" Hannah told her.

"We?" Sam said dryly as Hannah had spent most of her time removing her association from the the expedition only to now want back in.

"You- whoever you deem up to task. I'm just going to find them-"

"No, it'll put you in danger" Sam said cutting Hannah off. She shook her head as this 'mission' was going to have whoever planted it on Hannah's case and Sam had to keep the young woman safe. To not fail her again but on the other hand it would keep Hannah occupied.

There was also the nagging fact that Hannah was probably right, that this wasn't the only device. It would take hours to assemble a city wide search; plenty of time for whoever planted the device to set them off. Judging but the dust on the device it had been left untouched for quite a while.

"You forget what I am" Hannah told her, Sam stilled at the sudden change in Hannah's disposition and how she had said 'What' instead of 'who'. "I've been running through the substructures for a few days without any mishaps. Yes, people are making noise about it but no one's come at me. It's safer for me to continue my runs and see how many devices are in the city. Then when we know we can come with a plan to catch whoever set them and disarm the things at the same time" Hannah told her.

"Ok, but basic surveillance and don't run alone. Report back to me once a week" Sam told her.

* * *

><p>Later that evening,<p>

Hannah walked to the door of Keller's office and knocked on the door frame. Keller who had been sitting with her head down at her desk.

"Doc, you have a second?" Hannah asked as she scratched her arm. The rash; she was currently enduring was not going away. In fact it had gotten worse, though the ointment Teyla gave her worked for 10 minutes and then it just smelled nice. So right now she was suffering and trying vainly not to scratch her more intimate areas like her left butt cheek.

"Sure" Keller said she looked up and her eyes went wide as she took in Hannah's ailment that looked was a mottled map all over her arms, chest, neck and slowly creeping up her face. "wow you're really allergic to something" Keller observed. Hannah gave her a strained smile.

"My first allergy, Dad would be so proud." Hannah said in a mocking tone, Keller smiled. "I thought it was a heat rash and took an antihistamine a few hours ago but all it did was stop the itching and now it's back full force. It's driving me insane and I need to go have dinner" Hannah told her. Keller rose from her chair and circled the desk to get a closer look at Hannah's rash.

"Ok well it could be also be heat rash or contact rash but let's not rule out any allergies. Tell me what have you encountered in the last 24 hours that you haven't before?" Keller asked as she gingerly inspected Hannah's arm.

"I don't know, it could have been the calcium oxide but it's not a burn other than that I was in full HAZMAT which I've worn before" Hannah said with a shrug as she really had no clue where to start.

"Hmm well you have new body and it could be the HAZMAT suit then you probably have an allergy to rubber or the vulcanizing agent in the rubber but we'll have to run some blood tests to confirm it. Probably best to run diagnostics panel for other allergies just in case" Keller told her. She gestured for Hannah to take a seat in the guest chair before she sat down in the guest chair next to it.

"Great and if it is a rubber allergy?" Hannah asked her just out of curiosity as she sat down.

"Then we should really talk about birth control options" Keller said with an amused smile as she picked up her tablet computer and started tapping away on it.

"That's a bit of a leap don't you think?" Hannah asked feeling her cheeks grow warm as she really hated how much everyone speculated on her sex life.

"Latex is rubber" Keller told her, it took Hannah a couple moments to digest the knowledge before it hit her.

"Wow, I'm more dehydrated than I thought that I didn't make that connection but it's not a problem. I'm a clone and when the Asgards baked me into existence they made sure I couldn't reproduce" Hannah assured her. It was true, the Asgard sterilised her because if she every reproduced a child it would be like a Harcesis child and possess all the knowledge of the Tok'ra and maybe even more. Who knew what knowledge a child with her DNA would have. Luckily Hannah would never have to find out or so she thought.

"That may have been the case before you ascended but not now" Keller told her.

"Yes, now" Hannah told her firmly. Keller lowered the tablet computer into her lap and gave Hannah a patient and sympathetic look.

"Hannah, you have a new body-" Keller started to tell her in a slow but kind manner.

"So you said before, I'd appreciate it if you just tell it to me straight instead slow speaking in kind words" Hannah said as she scratched her inner arm to alleviate the itch for just a moment. Keller took a deep breath and spoke.

"Ok, well when you were brought back here for testing we couldn't identify you through your DNA as it wasn't a match. We had to use your medical records of your skeletal frame and dental records to confirm your identity" Keller told her.

"Why wasn't my DNA a match?" Hannah asked frowning as no one had told her this.

"Technically it was a partial match. Here" Keller said, she brought up Hannah's current DNA records with her past records for comparison on her tablet computer before she handed it to Hannah. Hannah took the computer and looked at the computer. Her eyes went wide in disbelief as the two records showed vague similarity like that of a distant relative.

"I understand but at the same time I don't" Hannah said shaking her head, not able to comprehend what was right in front of her eyes.

"I believe when you descended it changed your physiology. You're no longer a clone, you're as human as the rest of us though more like Sheppard you have very strong and natural ATA gene markers. Probably due to General O'Neill being your paternal father" Keller told her.

"Yeah I guess, this is really a surprise" Hannah said still shocked by what she was being told.

"If your physiology has changed there's a good chance you're no longer infertile. We could run tests-" Keller started but Hannah cut her off with a shake of her head.

"No, no fertility tests. I don't want to know but just to be on the safe side give me the shot for the rash and birth control" Hannah told her.

"You don't want to know for sure?" Keller asked referring to Hannah's fertility.

"Ah yeah, I am. I would appreciate having access to my medical records and look we'll still do the allergy testing and the blood work. I'm forever a pin cushion to you and your staff but for right now I need the rash to go away and we should just give me the Depro shot because it's easy for me and doesn't involve me remembering to take a pill or explain a patch to Ronon and frankly I'm not comfortable with the idea of IUD's or implants" Hannah said to her, being pragmatic as she possibly could be.

"Ok, well let's address this rash first and then the other tests later" Keller told her.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

9 days later,

"Hey nice of you to show up" Sheppard told Hannah as she came into the Gate room looking a little dishevelled and frustrated. It was a look Sheppard was becoming accustomed to seeing Hannah wear. He wondered why Hannah and Ronon just didn't have sex and get it out of their system but then he wasn't game to ask as he was sure it would result in and his back still smarted from the last time he sparred with Hannah.

"I overslept" Hannah informed him with a curt tone as she adjusted the strings on the corset of her dark brown coat. It was a long coat that stopped about mid thigh that was made out of a heavy cotton, it draped her body that cinched at the waist with a girdle type of bodice with long sleeves that stopped at her knuckles. Underneath she was dressed in dark brown skin tight pants, a dark grey Henley top with long sleeves and baggy mid calf black boots.

"Uhuh" he said not believing her. "Teyla and Keller are on the other side." Sheppard told her with a wry smile as he pointed to the active stargate. Hannah nodded as she redid her messy bun and then pulled the hood of her jacket up onto her head settling it in place.

"Catch you in 48 hours" Hannah told him.

"Ok, and don't do anything I wouldn't" Sheppard warned her.

"So I can do whatever I like?" She replied cheekily as she gave him a mock salute before she walked through the stargate backwards. She travelled through the wormhole and stepped out the otherside, glad she wore a coat as it was a rather chilly morning on New Athos and looking like it would only get colder as it was overcast.

"Hey" Hannah said to Teyla and Keller with a smile. She loved New Athos even if it was a tad cold and slightly drizzling. It didn't matter as it was like a second home to her. She couldn't wait to see the Athosians and catch up with them.

"You're late" Teyla told her, Hannah smiled noting the woman's impatience, the nice outfit and the extra care Teyla had put into her general appearance.

"I'm sorry, it's hard to keep track of time when I don't have a watch" Hannah told her as they all began to walk in the direction of the settlement.

"Yes, I'm sure it wasn't the lack of a watch that made you late" Keller teased lightly, Hannah assumed she was digging for information.

"You want a hand?" Hannah asked her, holding out a hand to take a bag as she changed the topic of conversation as she didn't need to reminded of her and Ronon 'waiting' for the 'right' moment.

"Oh no, I got it" Keller assured her as she lugged her two heavy medical bags. Hannah and Teyla exchanged looks of resignation as Hannah knew the woman would have asked to assist Keller before her. Hannah gave a shrug and stuck her hands into the pockets of her jacket.

"Alright, so Teyla. You're looking rather ravishing today" Hannah said in a rather salacious manner as she made conversation.

"Thank you" Teyla said to Hannah as she walked slightly ahead of them. Hannah smiled as she was pretty sure she was the only one on Atlantis who knew about her relationship with Kanaan. But it wasn't like Teyla told her, Hannah was just observant.

"Teyla's got a date" Keller said in a teasing manner making conversation.

"Of course she does" Hannah said in agreement. Teyla shot them both a patient smile letting them know she was not going to be baited.

"So Hannah, have you and Ronon-" Keller started but Hannah cut her off.

"Become physically intimate? Because I'm not sure how that's your business" Hannah told her in a matter of factoral manner. They hadn't discussed it since Hannah had gotten her birth control shot. She had to admit it was a relief to look over her DNA and know she was less of a freak now and like Keller said more like Sheppard. More human which surprisingly made her feel a little more worthy to breathing.

"It is considering I have to put in the order for medical supplies. I'm just wondering if I should order more than the usual allotment of suture kits" Keller said in an amused tone. Hannah rolled her eyes.

"When it comes to the military run operation you should always ask for more than you need. Never know when they will cut funds" Hannah advised her in a dry tone.

"Thanks for the advice, though I have to ask how long does Satedan customs say you have to wait to ...you know?" Keller asked.

"I don't know but it's not just his customs one of the reasons we're waiting is about me" Hannah said.

* * *

><p>It took only 20 minutes into the walk to the settlement for Keller to give up her bags to Teyla and Hannah.<p>

"I didn't think it would be this far." Keller said slightly out of breath as they neared the settlement, Hannah smiled but it soon dropped as the area was quiet. Too quiet. She looked Teyla who was having the same gut feeling that something was wrong. The silence seemed unnerving as they should have been able to hear the Athosians talking, fires crackling, small children playing but there was nothing.

"Is it always this quiet?" Keller asked them.

"No" Hannah told her, becoming concerned.

"Something is wrong." Teyla said, she dropped the bag she had been holding to the ground. She ran into the settlement and started opening tent flaps. Hannah silently concurred as she stood still and focussed her other senses to listen to their surroundings.

"Hello?" Teyla called out. "Hello? Is anybody here?" she called out and continued to do so hoping someone would answer.

"Where is everyone?" Keller asked her tone was tainted with fear. Hannah slid a look her way for a moment before she started to scan the area beyond the encampment.

"I do not know, but they did not leave of their own accord." Teyla said as she moved towards them.

"Are you saying they were attacked?" Keller asked.

"Or culled." Teyla said, she looked to Hannah and watched her for a moment before narrowing her eyes "Hannah?" she asked.

"Do you feel that?" Hannah asked Teyla, wondering if Teyla had the same uneasy feeling that they were being watched.

"Feel what?" Keller asked confused as Hannah and Teyla were acting like they were hearing or sensing something where she felt and heard nothing out of the ordinary. A few tense moments passed.

"We're not alone, we're being watched" Hannah said in a low tone doing something she hated doing which was turn her back and act like she didn't know that danger lingered nearby.

"We should return to the gate" Teyla said not even questioning Hannah's intuition.

* * *

><p>"I thought the Wraith didn't know about this planet." Keller said as they decided it was best to go off the beaten track back to the gate to call for help. Teyla walked ahead with Keller at her side while Hannah took up the rear.<p>

"That was my understanding as well." Teyla said to Keller, Hannah could practically taste Keller's panic as the blonde Doctor was not equipped to deviate from the program.

"Then how could they just ..." Keller started but Teyla held up a hand and she immediately went silent. Hannah who was at the rear of the group looked around as she too heard the noise of brush being disturbed and stopped. Teyla motioned the direction of the noise with one hand.

"What is it?" Keller asked in a quiet tone. Teyla beckoned to Keller and they quickly ducked out of sight, Hannah followed suit taking cover behind a tree, she pulled her hood over head and then stole a quick glance from her hiding sight to see a couple of men a few yards away walking through the heavy brush towards the brush. Hannah looked over to Teyla and Keller and noted that Teyla tugged Keller down as the doctor was going to give their position away.

"Do you know them?" Keller hissed. Hannah wished the woman would keep quiet as it sounded like the men noticed something amiss as she could hear their footfalls changing direction and coming their way.

The men came closer and seemed to stop, Hannah looked over at Teyla who's eyes grew wide as she obviously recognised the men but they weren't friendlies as she made hand motion to Hannah telling her to they were enemies before she motion that they retreat. Hannah nodded acknowledging her message. She took a deep breath and waited for the signal to run.

They waited a few moments and Hannah listened as the men seemed to move on not that Hannah could tell without revealing herself. After a few more strained seconds Teyla made the motion and then spoke to Keller in a low voice. Hannah looked around the tree and barely made out the movement of the men but knew they had moved on for now.

* * *

><p>They ran through the forest, Teyla at the lead followed by Keller and Hannah at the rear. It was not as fast as Hannah would have liked but the Doctor didn't have the same physical prowess as she and Teyla did. Hannah had no idea what they were running from but knew they were running in a rather roundabout way to the stargate. After ten minutes of running and Keller slowing in pace, Teyla called a stop waving them to a large tree trunk.<p>

"Over here." Teyla said, they drew to a stop and Keller was out of breath, Hannah and Teyla allowed the woman a small respite as they looked around the area.

"The weapons cache is too far." Teyla said to Hannah.

"What?" Keller said.

"We'd better make a run for the Gate." Hannah said as it was the most obvious course of action as new Athos was now enemy territory. Teyla nodded and moved to Keller and pulled the medkit backpack off Keller's back. They needed to prepare for the worst, and they needed weapons.

"What are you ... what are you looking for?" Keller asked as Teyla knelt down and started rummaging through the medkit.

"Did you bring a weapon?" Teyla asked Keller, Hannah kept her eyes scanning the forest, she unsheathed a a slender knife from the back of her coat's bodice and readied it in her hand.

"No. That's just medical supplies. Don't _you_ have a weapon?" Keller asked, Teyla stopped her search and pulled a knife from her boot.

"Just a knife. I was coming to visit my people – I did not believe I would need a gun." Teyla said, Hannah heard the pain in Teyla's tone as she too felt the raw sense of loss at loss of the Athosians but now was not the time to grieve. Teyla looked to Hannah "Hannah?" she asked.

"A few knives, Ronon" Hannah said with a shrug and an apologetic smile as it was just habit that she carried weaponry on her person even in friendly territory. She also said Ronon as she was starting to pick up some of his weapon happy tendencies.

"Who _are_ those men?" Keller asked.

"Bola Kai." Teyla said her tone dripping with disdain. Hannah scowled and pulled out the second knife she had in the back of her bodice.

"You know them?" Keller asked, she looked panicked before but right now she looked down right scared to Hannah. And Hannah didn't blame her, Keller should be scared. The Bola Kai were a vicious, blood thirsty tribe. If they had guns then it wouldn't be an issue but right now they were at a disadvantage and that's when it clicked in Hannah's head. She looked at Keller and knew the woman would slow them down and the three of them moving through the brush would make them easy pickings. It was only a matter of time before they were discovered.

But if Hannah broke away now she could level playing field so to speak. Pull the Bola Kai's attention onto her and become the prey in their hunt and give Keller and Teyla a chance to get back to the Stargate or at least survive until they missed their return time and Atlantis sent help.

"I know _of_ them. The markings on their faces are distinctive to their tribe but I have never crossed paths with them – until now." Teyla said as she went back to rummaging through Keller's medkit.

"Are they dangerous?" Keller asked, Teyla found what she was looking for and pulled out a large scalpel which he held out to Keller.

"Beyond dangerous" Teyla said.

"We should split up" Hannah said.

"what?" Keller said, not liking this idea at all. She wanted them all to stay together.

"They will discover us, our tracks are everywhere. I will draw their attention and give you two time to make your escape" Hannah explained, her heart thumping in anticipation, excitement and a little bit of fear. Not fear of the Bola Kai but of what she would have to do to survive. She had yet to kill anyone since her de-ascension and she still remembered the fine line between self defence and blood thirst. She also remembered how very blurred it became and how quickly she didn't care about it. Something she knew was wrong.

"Hannah" Teyla said in a concerned tone. She was worried that splitting up was not the best option as she didn't want Hannah to be killed by the Bola Kai. But she could also see the benefits of splitting up, Hannah had been training rigorously with Ronon.

"You know it has to be this way. I'm not a team player and I have centuries of battle experience" Hannah said to Teyla, she knew it was rude to ignore

"Centuries?" Keller said under her breath, she looked at Hannah like she had grown a second head while Teyla thought about what Hannah was saying.

"You think I ascended into a realm of peace, love and meditation?" Hannah asked Keller mockingly. "No offence but the upper realms are not what Daniel Jackson or the mythology would like you to believe. Yes there was a time I was at peace but it wasn't the entire time. So right now if we want a chance at survival, I need to go now" Hannah said in a matter of factoral tone.

"All you have is two knives" Keller said in disbelief.

"It's enough for now, I'll pick up more weapons along the way" Hannah assured her, she looked to Teyla waiting for the woman's consensus.

"Hannah are you sure you are able to do this?" Teyla asked her in a serious tone, Hannah knew Teyla was referring to her state of mind. Going on a killing spree tended to affect one's outlook. Sometimes one's baser instincts came forward where morals and ethics were forgotten. Something Teyla knew Hannah struggled with.

"It has to be done"

"We will try to get to the gate first-"

"I will hopefully be able to draw enough of them away"

"If we are unable to reach the gate then we will head to the Weapons cache" Teyla said informing Hannah of her plans, so then Hannah could draw the Bola Kai in the opposite direction.

"Ok, good luck" Hannah told them. Teyla nodded and Keller looked gobsmacked as they watched Hannah run off into the forest. Leaving them to fend for themselves.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, night had fallen and the moons in the sky were wanning and were just small sliver crescents in the sky which didn't leave much light for Hannah to see but it was enough as she trekked through the forest to the blind where she had a feeling Teyla and Keller would be. It was near the cache of weapons. Not that Hannah had needed them as she carried a few items of Bola Kai weaponry she had procured along the way. A bow and arrows, a few Xena type chakrams. She had tried out their swords and axes but found them unbalanced and too heavy to be carting around.<p>

She knew leaving them hadn't been the best choice but then it was the lesser of two evils. Sadly her plan of leveling the playing field hadn't worked as Bola Kai called in more reinforcements for some reason that she couldn't ascertain as she hadn't left any Bola Kai alive or out in the open if she could help it. It wa why she was heading for Teyla and Keller. Something must have happened on their end and so she needed to check in and reassess their strategy with Teyla before she went back out again. That's if they hadn't made it back but she knew they hadn't as Ronon hadn't tracked her down.

How she longed to go home to Atlantis and see his face again but a small part of her was reticent as this was a side of herself she didn't want him to see. She was still struggling to believe his speech that he accepted her for who she was and that her past didn't matter. She guessed she would have to test his limits yet again. As she tread lightly through the forest she listened to the distant noise of beating drums. The Bola Kai off on the other side of the forest searching for her, a smile curled her lips at getting away before she wondered how Teyla and Keller were faring.

Keller wasn't going to be much use as the woman was a doctor, they had that pesky Hippocratic oath to adhere to. Teyla knew like Hannah they could not leave any Bola Kai alive which was something Hannah made sure of as they didn't need them call in reinforcements. But what Hannah didn't want to admit was that she was in her element, right now hunting down the Bola Kai and killing them was like slipping on a old pair of comfortable shoes. It brought back memories of her time before she ascended and when she was ascended in the upper realms. Just engaging the Bola Kai in battle shook old memories of her ascension, the battle with Adria, the ancients and other races that had managed to attain ascension that wanted the realm to themselves. It wasn't the peaceful roadside diner Daniel described.

Hannah saw the dim light of the fire from the blind and knew she was close, she slowed her pace of walking and looked to the ground doing her best to avoid the traps laid out to trap prey. Once she navigated through the field she crept towards the blind and Teyla immediately spotted her, giving her a hand signal to acknowledge her presence. When she stepped into the blind, she immediately knelt down due to the low ceiling.

"Hannah!" Keller exclaimed in surprise and relief.

"Hey" Hannah said in greeting, she looked around the blind taking in the little room and the man lying on the ground. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion of the stranger but before she could investigate Teyla nudged her arm and held up a knife laden with the guts of a ground creature. "Thank you" Hannah said accepting the sustenance and eating it without question.

"You- you're covered in blood" Keller said as she took in Hannah's appearance. Hannah looked down at her body and clothes that were covered in dirt and blood splatter with disinterest but knew her appearance had to be shocking to Keller as she had never been in a situation to truly appreciate how filthy going to war was.

"It's not my blood and most of it's dirt." Hannah assured her before she paused "I think. So relax" Hannah told Keller, though it didn't help the young woman at all but then Hannah knew she wouldn't change her clothes and a hot shower was going to have to wait. She looked to Teyla "They are racing around the northern forests when I last left them. I did my best to cover my tracks but come morning..." Hannah drawled.

"They will be able to track you back over here" Teyla said, finishing Hannah's sentence.T here was no accusations or disappointment. She was just stating a fact.

"I know" Hannah said in agreement she looked to the man lying on the ground "Who the hell is that?" she asked.

"Genii" Teyla spat with disgust. Hannah moved past the small fire to the man and looked him over. He was incredibly pale and had a heavy sheen of sweat on his skin. His injury looked bad and judging by the blood on his clothes he had lost a lot of blood which made her wonder why they didn't give him a quick yet merciful death.

"He is nearing his death, why did you bring him here?" Hannah asked, she looked to Teyla and saw the woman flick her eyes to Keller who looked shocked by Hannah's comment. Hannah knew in that instant Teyla shared her vehemence that she understood what it took to survive and right now their survival was more important than a stranger who's outlook was not good but Keller had a soft heart. It wasn't a bad thing but right now it rankled Hannah. She looked down at the man contemplated killing just to remove the complication of him slowing Teyla and Keller down. "He will only slow you down, make you easier to track" Hannah remarked in a cold tone.

"No he won't and I've tended his wounds. He'll survive and his name is Nabel" Keller said as if telling Hannah his name would make a difference. Hannah looked back down at the man and Keller watched as Hannah looked at him like he were a bug that needed to squished out of existence. It sent a chill shiver down Keller's spine at how detached, cold and pragmatic Hannah was acting. It was like she were more animal than human and it scared Keller. She looked to Teyla and saw the Athosian also noticed the change in Hannah's disposition and was concerned.

"Hannah" Teyla said in a terse tone getting Hannah's attention as she knew what Hannah was thinking. She had also seen Hannah's behaviour before, it was reminded her of Ronon when she and Sheppard first encountered him. Very much the cold killer who did whatever it took to survive, it seemed that like Ronon Hannah was running on pure instinct. It made her realise in that moment how similiar Ronon and Hannah were, that they were indeed kindred spirits. It also made sense as to why her people called Hannah Perdita 'Lost one'. It wasn't that she was geographically lost but spiritually and mentally lost in who she was, what she believed, what her core values and ethics were.

Hannah looked to Teyla and their gazes locked for a long moment and Teyla gave a minute shake of her head. Teyla was secretly relieved that Hannah still understood that Teyla was in charge as she watched Hannah struggle to retain some control over herself. Hannah backed away from the Genii, much to Keller's relief.

"I'll be outside" Hannah said backing slowly away from the man and leaving the blind before anyone could argue. She needed to be outside to stop herself from further upsetting Keller and killing the stranger. She knew they had to talk strategy but right now she needed to space.

"Is she ok?" Keller asked in a low voice after Hannah disappeared with minimal noise. She couldn't help but be frightened out of her mind. She had never been in so much danger in her entire life. Yet in the past 24 hours she had been hunted down by savage men, watched Teyla kill without mercy and now Hannah. A woman who first appeared so seemingly harmless and trouble a few months ago now was a person she no longer recognised. This side of Hannah scared Keller more than the Bola Kai.

"I do not know" Teyla replied in a weary tone but she knew that she was grateful for Hannah's unspoken support and her abilities.

* * *

><p>A couple hours later, the sun began to rise. It hadn't breached the mountains of the North yet but light was slowly filtering into the valley where the blind resided.<p>

Hannah who had been resting high up in the branches of an old tree, woke up with a start when she heard the cry of a man in pain and looked down to the ground to see a Bola Kai soldier crooning in pain. The blind had been discovered, She picked up the bow she had hung on a branch next to her and an arrow. She drew the arrow back in the bow and aimed for the poor sod. She released the arrow and the man was silenced but it wasn't quick enough.

As his cries had already drawn the others in the area. Obviously thanks due to the Teyla and Keller dragging the Genii soldier as they swarmed from the opposite direction Hannah had come via last night. Hannah rose to her feet and moved around the tree branches getting a better vantage point before she started firing arrows at the men going after Teyla, Keller and the Genii.

When this was over she was going to ask what he was doing on New Athos and hoped the man had answers to what happened to Teyla's people but right now she focussed on dividing and distracting the current horde of Bola Kai. 'One problem at a time" she mumbled under her breath as an arrow sliced through the air past her head and into the branch beside her. Now was definitely the time haul ass to a new location.

* * *

><p>On Atlantis,<p>

"Mr Freeze. No! King Tut." Sheppard guessed as he and McKay walked down the hallway to the mess for a late breakfast. McKay gave a smug chuckle.

"Wrong on both. Otto Preminger was Mr Freeze; Victor Buono was King Tut; Vincent Price was Egghead." McKay informed him as he was currently winning their game of name the actor and his/her famous role. Sheppard made a face inwardly cursing his easy mistake.

"Egghead! Right!" Sheppard replied in comradery. He liked this game as he had a pretty good chance of winning compared to the science games McKay and Zelenka played.

"OK, so: Cliff Robertson." McKay said starting a new game.

"Oh, I know this one. Played the cowboy, right?" Sheppard asked trying to wheedle a clue.

"Mmm." McKay said in a non commital tone.

"Hey. Did Teyla and Hannah get back?" Ronon asked as finally found Sheppard and McKay.

"Haven't heard from them yet. Haven't heard from Keller either" Sheppard remarked with a smirk as he knew Ronon only wanted to know about Hannah's whereabouts. The Satedan couldn't be more obvious if he tried. They all knew the big guy was whipped and he wasn't pussywhipped (yet) as the two hadn't even sealed the deal. Something no man on Atlantis understood.

"They're late." Ronon grumbled in a mix of concern and annoyance as he wanted Hannah back in his arms. It had only been one night and morning but he liked having Hannah draped over him and half expected her to some home drunk and pass out on top of him. But she hadn't.

"Doesn't sound like Teyla." Sheppard said.

"No, it doesn't." Ronon said. McKay gave an annoyed sigh.

"Well, she and the girls had that big feast last night. Maybe she did too much celebrating and needs to sleep it off. We all know Hannah likes her alcohol" McKay said smiling at Ronon who gave him a dark look in return.

"Yeah, that sounds like Teyla, to be swayed by Hannah into drinking too much." Ronon drawled in a patronising tone. McKay's smile faded as he realised Ronon was right. Teyla never drank to excess and she was never late.

"Ok. let's give her a call" Sheppard said as he too came to the same conclusion as McKay. They changed direction headed back towards the control room, Ronon followed behind and frowned as Sheppard and McKay were speaking in non nonsensical manner. They kept saying random names and foods or animals none of it made sense to him and it was annoying.

So when they reached the control room he was grateful that they stopped and got to the task at hand as dread pooled in his gut. He didn't know why but the more he wondered why the women were late in returning home the more he worried something was wrong.

"I'm sure they just drank too much" McKay said, making excuses for the women while Sheppard ordered the Stargate to be dialled. Ronon moved to the balcony railing and watched the Gate symbols light up and the portal open.

"No harm in making a quick phone call" Sheppard argued. He stepped forward looking to gate out of habit and tapped his comm. "New Athos, this is Atlantis Command. Please Respond" He said, he waited mentally counting time down to a sufficient number before he tried again.

Ronon turned and looked at him, quirking an eyebrow as if to say 'Now can we go?'. Sheppard frowned as he tried hailing the Athosians for a third time. Something was definitely wrong as the Athosians never left the radio they gave them unanswered. Hell, the last time he called them he ended up having a 10 minute conversation with an old man about fishing. So the lack of response was troubling. He turned to Chuck.

"Shut it down" he ordered, Chuck did as order the stargate disengaged and the wormhole closed. He turned to Ronon "Ok, we'll go check it out. We leave in 15 minutes, meet me in the Jumper bay." Sheppard said, Ronon didn't need to be told twice as he stalked out the control room with purpose. "McKay, you too" Sheppard added. McKay looked at him incredulously.

"What am I going to do?" McKay asked.

"Hopefully help me carry a couple of drunken women into a puddle jump-" Sheppard stopped as that sounded a little suss and decided not to finish the sentence."Just gear up" he told McKay . The man gave a nod knowing better than to argue and rose from his seat. Sheppard tapped his comm. to inform Lorne of the situation and hand command of Atlantis to him until he returned hopefully with a very drunk Hannah and a funny story.

* * *

><p><em>TBC- Cya all in the future<em>


End file.
